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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. present — a gift
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. prune — to trim
  5. prune — to trim
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. cold — an illness
  8. squash — the sport
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. cold — not warm
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. present — the time now
  20. squash — to crush
  21. chair — a leader
  22. present — there
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. squash — the vegetable

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