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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 120 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: calf · foot · cold · snap · ball · staff · spell · deal

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. cold — an illness
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. deal — to handle
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. staff — employees
  10. spell — a short time
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. spell — magic
  13. ball — a dance
  14. snap — to click
  15. ball — a great time
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. staff — a stick
  18. cold — not warm
  19. spell — letters
  20. staff — employees
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. cold — the Cold War

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