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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: hide · racket · cue · clip · cabinet · season · calf · wind

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. cue — a signal
  4. season — of the year
  5. clip — for paper
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. cue — a hint
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. cue — for pool
  14. clip — a video
  15. wind — moving air
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. clip — to cut
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. season — in sport
  22. wind — moving air
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. racket — for tennis

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