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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: cold · degree · calf · club · saw · wound · racket · pit

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. degree — an amount
  7. cold — not warm
  8. club — for dancing
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. pit — in a race
  11. degree — from a university
  12. club — for golf
  13. cold — an illness
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. wound — an injury
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. wound — an injury
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. degree — temperature
  20. pit — a hole
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. saw — the tool
  24. saw — the tool

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