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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  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. stick — a piece of wood
  2. staff — employees
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. deal — to handle
  5. snap — to click
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. cold — not warm
  10. cold — an illness
  11. staff — a stick
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. pass — a permit
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. staff — employees
  17. court — of law
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. court — of a king
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. court — for sport
  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