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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 train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. perch — the fish
  5. bore — to tire
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. cold — not warm
  10. cold — an illness
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. bore — to drill
  17. stand — to bear
  18. can — a tin
  19. can — a tin
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. deal — to handle
  22. can — to be able to
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. arm — part of the body

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