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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. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. cold — not warm
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. mate — a partner
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. cold — an illness
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. stock — shares
  10. cap — a lid
  11. mate — to breed
  12. mate — a friend
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. snap — to click
  16. cap — of ice
  17. cap — a hat
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. deal — to handle
  20. stock — goods
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. foot — a measure
  24. foot — part of the body

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