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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. present — there
  4. club — for golf
  5. cold — not warm
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. club — for dancing
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. court — for sport
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. shower — to wash
  14. present — the time now
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. court — of law
  17. present — a gift
  18. shower — rain
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. court — of a king
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. club — a group

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