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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 120 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 water is too ________________.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. pit — a hole
  3. wax — to grow
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. firm — steady
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. ball — a great time
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. board — a committee
  11. ball — a dance
  12. firm — a company
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. firm — decided
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. board — to get on
  18. foot — a measure
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. pit — in a race
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. cold — an illness
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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