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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: cold · foot · calf · ruler · bat · net · key · capital

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. foot — a measure
  3. bat — the animal
  4. net — after costs
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. capital — money
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. cold — an illness
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. key — for a lock
  11. key — in music
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. capital — a city
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. net — in sport
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. key — the most important part
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. cold — not warm

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