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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 water is too ________________.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. object — a thing
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. rule — government
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. object — to protest
  8. mine — for digging
  9. cold — an illness
  10. object — an aim
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. roll — a list
  20. rule — a law
  21. bat — the animal
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. roll — a cake

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