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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: ball · calf · rush · game · can · leaves · mouse · cold

  1. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  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. calf — of the leg
  2. cold — an illness
  3. ball — a dance
  4. can — a tin
  5. rush — hurry
  6. ball — a great time
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. cold — not warm
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. game — wild animals
  20. can — a tin
  21. can — to be able to
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. game — a match
  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