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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. cold — an illness
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. object — to protest
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. season — in sport
  11. object — a thing
  12. charge — a price
  13. charge — electricity
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. prune — to trim
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. season — of the year
  18. object — an aim
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. charge — in control
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. prune — to trim
  24. cold — not warm

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