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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: hide · cap · fan · court · tube · bank · calf · degree

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. court — of law
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. cap — of ice
  5. degree — an amount
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. degree — temperature
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. bank — for money
  10. tube — the underground
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. degree — from a university
  14. tube — a container
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. court — of a king
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. bank — of a river
  20. cap — a hat
  21. court — for sport
  22. cap — a lid
  23. bank — for money
  24. calf — of the leg

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