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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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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: can · cell · calf · dip · swing · pitcher · cap · cold

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. cap — of ice
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. can — a tin
  7. can — to be able to
  8. cell — a phone
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. swing — music
  11. cap — a hat
  12. cold — an illness
  13. cold — not warm
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. cap — a lid
  16. can — a tin
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. swing — in golf
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. swing — to play on
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. dip — to sink
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. cell — in biology

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