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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. swing — in golf
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. cold — not warm
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. drill — the tool
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. drill — army training
  10. march — the month
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. drill — a practice
  13. swing — music
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. cold — an illness
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. kick — in football
  18. ball — a great time
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. swing — to play on
  21. march — the month
  22. march — music
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. ball — a dance

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