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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: lie · saw · pit · ruler · ball · calf · squash · cold

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. lie — to recline
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. squash — the sport
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. cold — not warm
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. cold — an illness
  12. pit — in a race
  13. saw — the tool
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. squash — to crush
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. ball — a great time
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. pit — a hole
  24. saw — the tool

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