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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. cold — not warm
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. land — a country
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. bear — the animal
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. game — a match
  16. land — ground
  17. bear — the animal
  18. wake — a trail
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. land — to come down
  21. sharp — clever
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. game — wild animals
  24. bear — to put up with

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