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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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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: calf · capital · swing · can · coach · degree · fork · cell

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. swing — in golf
  3. can — a tin
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. cell — in biology
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. fork — in a road
  11. capital — a city
  12. capital — money
  13. cell — a phone
  14. degree — an amount
  15. can — a tin
  16. degree — temperature
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. degree — from a university
  20. can — to be able to
  21. swing — to play on
  22. swing — music
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. coach — a trainer

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