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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. hand — help
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. hand — in cards
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. sharp — clever
  11. cold — an illness
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. fork — in a road
  15. race — humankind
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. rock — music
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. race — the arms race
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. race — a contest
  24. cold — not warm

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