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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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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: racket · game · chip · calf · bear · cold · pit · arm

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. bear — the animal
  4. pit — in a race
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. game — a match
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. chip — for betting
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. cold — not warm
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. chip — to eat
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. bear — the animal
  22. cold — an illness
  23. game — wild animals
  24. bear — to put up with

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