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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. wake — a trail
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. bat — the animal
  7. cold — not warm
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. chair — a leader
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. fork — in a road
  13. saw — the tool
  14. cap — a hat
  15. saw — the tool
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. cap — of ice
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. cap — a lid
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. cold — an illness

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