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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. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. squash — the sport
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. cell — a phone
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. pop — music
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. pop — to visit
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. pop — soda
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. squash — to crush
  20. cell — in biology
  21. dip — to sink
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. stand — to bear

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