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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 would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. cold — an illness
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. cue — a hint
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. toast — bread
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. stand — to bear
  18. cue — a signal
  19. fork — in a road
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. cue — for pool
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  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