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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. bass — the fish
  3. cold — not warm
  4. fine — all right
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. season — in sport
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. season — of the year
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. chest — a box
  14. stem — to come from
  15. cold — an illness
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. fine — high quality
  19. chest — of your body
  20. wake — a trail
  21. chest — of your body
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. bass — low music
  24. stem — of a plant

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