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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. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. drill — the tool
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. last — final
  6. field — a subject
  7. cold — an illness
  8. last — finally
  9. last — to go on
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. drill — a practice
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. cold — not warm
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. lie — to recline
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. field — for sport
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. drill — army training
  24. field — farmland

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