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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  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. mug — a cup
  2. lean — thin
  3. pop — soda
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. saw — the tool
  6. mug — to rob
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. mug — a face
  9. pop — music
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. pop — to visit
  14. lean — to bend
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. saw — the tool
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. cold — not warm
  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