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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. wound — an injury
  3. cue — for pool
  4. chest — of your body
  5. last — finally
  6. cue — a hint
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. cap — of ice
  11. chest — a box
  12. cap — a hat
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. last — final
  15. chest — of your body
  16. cap — a lid
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. stand — to bear
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. cue — a signal
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. last — to go on
  24. calf — a young animal

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