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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. cold — an illness
  3. mate — a partner
  4. land — a country
  5. mate — a friend
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. saw — the tool
  10. net — for catching
  11. land — to come down
  12. saw — the tool
  13. fine — high quality
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. fine — all right
  18. net — in sport
  19. mate — to breed
  20. land — ground
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. cold — not warm
  23. net — after costs
  24. calf — of the leg

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