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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 protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. rash — hasty
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. cold — an illness
  6. rest — a break
  7. rest — what's left
  8. rash — a series
  9. band — a music group
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. rest — what's left
  12. cap — a lid
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. cap — of ice
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. cap — a hat
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. band — a ring
  23. cold — not warm
  24. jam — in traffic

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