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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 116 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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  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. calf — of the leg
  2. season — in sport
  3. present — the time now
  4. cold — not warm
  5. cold — an illness
  6. mug — a face
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. mug — to rob
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. season — of the year
  11. row — to paddle
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. wound — an injury
  14. row — a line
  15. mug — a cup
  16. present — a gift
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. wound — an injury
  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