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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 120 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 kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. mug — a face
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. cold — not warm
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. ball — a dance
  9. present — the time now
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. mug — a cup
  12. cold — an illness
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. present — a gift
  17. ball — a great time
  18. mug — to rob
  19. stand — to bear
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. deal — to handle
  24. present — there

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