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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. spring — the season
  4. stand — to bear
  5. spring — of water
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. cold — not warm
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. spring — a coil
  13. season — of the year
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. deal — to handle
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. cold — an illness
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. season — in sport
  24. pitch — completely

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