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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: field · wake · cold · dip · calf · bass · court · foot

  1. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. cold — not warm
  3. court — of a king
  4. wake — a trail
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. cold — an illness
  9. court — of law
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. field — farmland
  12. court — for sport
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. field — for sport
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. bass — the fish
  19. field — a subject
  20. foot — a measure
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. bass — low music
  24. calf — a young animal

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