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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: mine · calf · cold · coach · fork · season · suit · last

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. cold — not warm
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. suit — clothes
  10. suit — to fit
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. fork — in a road
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. mine — for digging
  17. last — to go on
  18. last — final
  19. season — of the year
  20. season — in sport
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. cold — an illness
  23. suit — in cards
  24. last — finally

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