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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. charge — in control
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. fall — to drop
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. cold — not warm
  9. charge — electricity
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. fall — the season
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. degree — an amount
  14. kid — child
  15. cold — an illness
  16. charge — a price
  17. fall — to drop
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. kid — to tease
  22. degree — from a university
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. degree — temperature

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