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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. cold — not warm
  3. cold — an illness
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. fine — high quality
  7. dip — to sink
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. can — to be able to
  10. saw — the tool
  11. saw — the tool
  12. fine — all right
  13. can — a tin
  14. rest — a break
  15. last — to go on
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. last — final
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. last — finally
  22. rest — what's left
  23. rest — what's left
  24. can — a tin

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com