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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. mate — a partner
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. mate — a friend
  6. capital — a city
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. bat — the animal
  9. capital — money
  10. staff — a stick
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. staff — employees
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. cold — not warm
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. mate — to breed
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. staff — employees
  21. cold — an illness
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. safe — out of danger

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