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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 · cold · roll · stand · stick · hide · temple · land

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. roll — a cake
  5. land — ground
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. land — to come down
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. cold — not warm
  19. roll — a list
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. cold — an illness
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. land — a country
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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