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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. The water is too ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. kick — in football
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. cap — a lid
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. cap — a hat
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. cap — of ice
  15. squash — the sport
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. squash — to crush
  18. pitch — completely
  19. capital — money
  20. capital — a city
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. cold — an illness

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