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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. file — a document
  5. cold — an illness
  6. file — a line of people
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. season — of the year
  10. degree — an amount
  11. file — a tool
  12. degree — from a university
  13. staff — employees
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. season — in sport
  18. staff — a stick
  19. staff — employees
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. degree — temperature
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. cold — not warm
  24. cabinet — ministers

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