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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: ground · bay · squash · chip · calf · cold

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. chip — to eat
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. cold — not warm
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. ground — crushed
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. chip — for betting
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. cold — an illness
  14. squash — to crush
  15. squash — the sport
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. ground — the earth
  18. cold — the Cold War

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