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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 120 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 don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. last — to go on
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. lean — thin
  8. last — finally
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. lean — to bend
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. cold — not warm
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. last — final
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. cold — an illness
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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