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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: dip · file · cold · calf · rash · capital · lie · pitcher

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. file — a line of people
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. file — a tool
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. rash — hasty
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. rash — a series
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. dip — to sink
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. cold — not warm
  20. cold — an illness
  21. capital — money
  22. lie — to recline
  23. file — a document
  24. capital — a city

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