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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 116 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: rest · spring · safe · calf · rock · cold · hide · game

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. rest — what's left
  3. game — wild animals
  4. rest — a break
  5. rock — a stone
  6. cold — not warm
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. cold — an illness
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. game — a match
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. rest — what's left
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. spring — the season
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. rock — music
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. spring — of water
  24. spring — a coil

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