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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 116 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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. cold — not warm
  3. cold — an illness
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. degree — an amount
  8. degree — from a university
  9. present — a gift
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. spell — magic
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. present — the time now
  16. degree — temperature
  17. present — there
  18. spell — letters
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. saw — the tool
  21. spell — a short time
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. saw — the tool
  24. deal — to handle

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