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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. cold — not warm
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. rest — a break
  5. firm — steady
  6. cold — an illness
  7. game — a match
  8. season — in sport
  9. scale — in music
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. game — wild animals
  12. firm — decided
  13. firm — a company
  14. charge — electricity
  15. charge — in control
  16. charge — a price
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. rest — what's left
  20. season — of the year
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. rest — what's left
  24. season — to add flavour

Multiple-meaning words list

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

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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