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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 116 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 had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. file — a tool
  5. mine — for digging
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. rock — a stone
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. rock — music
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. pound — a weight
  13. charge — electricity
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. charge — in control
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. kick — in football
  18. charge — a price
  19. file — a line of people
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. cold — not warm
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. file — a document

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