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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. cold — not warm
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. spell — letters
  6. stand — to bear
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. cold — an illness
  9. spell — a short time
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. current — electric
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. sharp — clever
  16. pass — a permit
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. current — of water
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. spell — magic
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. current — happening now

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