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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: fan · club · degree · present · calf · cold · rest · current

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. cold — an illness
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. club — for golf
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. rest — what's left
  7. rest — a break
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. degree — from a university
  10. current — happening now
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. present — the time now
  13. club — for dancing
  14. degree — temperature
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. present — a gift
  17. degree — an amount
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. present — there
  20. cold — not warm
  21. current — electric
  22. club — a group
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. current — of water

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