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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. tear — to rip
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. cold — not warm
  5. row — to paddle
  6. tube — a container
  7. hand — help
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. tube — the underground
  12. tear — from crying
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. cold — an illness
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. tear — from crying
  23. row — a line
  24. calf — a young animal

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