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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: clip · rock · lie · deal · cold · cabinet · game · calf

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. cold — not warm
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. lie — to recline
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. clip — a video
  7. rock — a stone
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. clip — for paper
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. game — wild animals
  12. cold — an illness
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. rock — music
  15. clip — to cut
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. deal — to handle
  19. game — a match
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. lie — an untruth

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