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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.

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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: saw · row · calf · rule · stick · coach · court · kid

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. saw — the tool
  5. court — for sport
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. row — a line
  10. rule — government
  11. kid — child
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. saw — the tool
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. row — to paddle
  19. kid — to tease
  20. court — of law
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. rule — a law
  24. court — of a king

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