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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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. bound — obliged
  4. fall — to drop
  5. bound — certain
  6. mark — a trace
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. kid — to tease
  9. cold — not warm
  10. fall — the season
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. kid — child
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. bound — tied together
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. fall — to drop
  22. mark — a grade
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. cold — an illness

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