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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 protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. cold — an illness
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. cold — not warm
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. net — after costs
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. dip — to sink
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. net — in sport
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. mine — for digging
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. net — for catching
  24. dip — to dunk

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