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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 giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. season — of the year
  5. saw — the tool
  6. drill — army training
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. cold — not warm
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. drill — a practice
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. cold — an illness
  14. saw — the tool
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. cue — a signal
  18. cue — for pool
  19. drill — the tool
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. season — in sport
  24. cue — a hint

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