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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 · mouse · cue · pit · perch · ground · bulb

  1. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. pit — in a race
  4. cold — not warm
  5. cue — a signal
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. cue — a hint
  14. bulb — for light
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. pit — a hole
  17. perch — the fish
  18. cold — an illness
  19. ground — crushed
  20. bulb — for light
  21. cue — for pool
  22. ground — a position
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. ground — the earth

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