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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 116 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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. wound — an injury
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. game — a match
  7. game — wild animals
  8. cold — an illness
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. lie — to recline
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. lean — to bend
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. wound — an injury
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. lean — thin
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. pitch — completely
  23. cold — not warm
  24. game — a kind of play

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