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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. kick — in football
  3. roll — a list
  4. stock — shares
  5. cold — not warm
  6. roll — a cake
  7. pass — a permit
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. cold — an illness
  20. wound — an injury
  21. wound — an injury
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. vault — a safe
  24. stock — goods

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