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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. game — wild animals
  6. court — for sport
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. game — a match
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. cap — of ice
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. court — of law
  18. fork — in a road
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. court — of a king
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. cold — not warm
  23. cap — a lid
  24. cap — a hat

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