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

Word bank: calf · pit · cold · mate · ruler · rest · fall · game

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. game — wild animals
  3. cold — an illness
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. fall — to drop
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. pit — in a race
  9. fall — the season
  10. game — a match
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. rest — a break
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. mate — a partner
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. rest — what's left
  17. mate — a friend
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. fall — to drop
  20. mate — to breed
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. pit — a hole
  23. rest — what's left
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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