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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. track — a path
  3. pop — to visit
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. saw — the tool
  6. track — to keep track
  7. squash — to crush
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. pop — soda
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. cap — a hat
  13. pop — music
  14. cap — a lid
  15. track — a song
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. squash — the sport
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. cold — an illness
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. cold — not warm
  23. cap — of ice
  24. saw — the tool

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