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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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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. cap — of ice
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. can — a tin
  7. club — for golf
  8. can — a tin
  9. kid — child
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. cold — an illness
  12. cold — not warm
  13. club — a group
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. can — to be able to
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. club — for dancing
  20. cap — a lid
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. kid — to tease

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