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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. drill — a practice
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. bass — the fish
  7. bound — obliged
  8. bound — certain
  9. season — in sport
  10. cold — not warm
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. season — of the year
  16. bass — low music
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. bound — tied together
  21. foot — a measure
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. drill — army training
  24. drill — the tool

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