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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: club · rock · cap · sharp · pitcher · kid · cold · calf

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. club — a group
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. cap — of ice
  9. rock — music
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. rock — a stone
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. club — for dancing
  14. cold — not warm
  15. cap — a lid
  16. club — for golf
  17. kid — child
  18. sharp — clever
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. cap — a hat
  21. kid — to tease
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. cold — an illness
  24. sharp — exactly

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