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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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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: craft · charge · calf · fine · fan · pitcher · cold · date

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. fine — high quality
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. cold — an illness
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. craft — a skill
  11. cold — not warm
  12. date — the fruit
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. craft — boats
  21. charge — in control
  22. charge — electricity
  23. fine — all right
  24. pitcher — a jug

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