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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. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. fall — to drop
  3. mark — a trace
  4. fall — to drop
  5. cell — in biology
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. saw — the tool
  8. cold — an illness
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. mark — a grade
  11. cell — a phone
  12. cold — not warm
  13. tube — the underground
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. tube — a container
  20. saw — the tool
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. fall — the season
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. cold — the Cold War

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