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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 120 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 · kid · club · cold · scale · sharp · firm · object

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. firm — steady
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. object — to protest
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. club — for dancing
  9. object — an aim
  10. kid — child
  11. firm — decided
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. kid — to tease
  14. object — a thing
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. scale — in music
  17. sharp — clever
  18. firm — a company
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. club — for golf
  21. cold — an illness
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. club — a group
  24. scale — size or range

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