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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: hide · cold · foot · calf · leaves · straw · stand · ball

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. cold — an illness
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. stand — to bear
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. ball — a great time
  12. cold — not warm
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. ball — a dance
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. foot — a measure
  24. stand — for spectators

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