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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 had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. land — a country
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. season — in sport
  6. land — to come down
  7. can — a tin
  8. cold — not warm
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. stand — to bear
  12. season — of the year
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. pop — music
  16. can — to be able to
  17. key — the most important part
  18. pop — soda
  19. can — a tin
  20. pop — to visit
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. land — ground
  23. key — for a lock
  24. key — in music

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