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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.

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: hand · calf · cold · last · cabinet · racket · ground · arm

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. ground — a position
  3. last — finally
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. last — to go on
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. hand — help
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. ground — the earth
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. cold — an illness
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. hand — in cards
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. cold — not warm
  18. last — final
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. ground — crushed
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. calf — a young animal

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