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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: stand · firm · hand · content · cold · mouse · calf · game

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. firm — decided
  3. game — a match
  4. stand — to bear
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. hand — help
  7. firm — steady
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. hand — in cards
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. cold — not warm
  13. cold — an illness
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. content — the amount
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. firm — a company
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. content — happy
  24. game — wild animals

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