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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.

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: mug · cold · racket · wound · sharp · calf · cell · bound

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. cold — not warm
  6. cell — a phone
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. mug — a face
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. mug — to rob
  13. bound — tied together
  14. sharp — clever
  15. bound — obliged
  16. mug — a cup
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. bound — certain
  20. cold — an illness
  21. wound — an injury
  22. wound — an injury
  23. cell — in biology
  24. cell — in a prison

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