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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bay · cold · hide · cue · calf · pop

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. pop — soda
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. pop — to visit
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. cue — a signal
  12. pop — music
  13. cold — not warm
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. cue — for pool
  17. cue — a hint
  18. bay — to keep at bay

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