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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: cold · calf · bound · last · game · cap · bay · object

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. last — finally
  3. cold — an illness
  4. cap — a lid
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. game — a match
  7. cold — not warm
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. game — wild animals
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. object — an aim
  13. cap — of ice
  14. object — a thing
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. bound — tied together
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. last — to go on
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. last — final
  21. bound — certain
  22. bound — obliged
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. cap — a hat

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