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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. race — a contest
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. ground — a position
  9. cold — not warm
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. race — the arms race
  13. ground — crushed
  14. bat — the animal
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. ground — the earth
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. stand — to bear
  19. cold — an illness
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. deal — to handle
  24. race — humankind

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