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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: tube · club · mark · calf · capital · toast · rock · cold

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. rock — music
  4. club — for dancing
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. mark — a trace
  7. cold — an illness
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. capital — a city
  10. tube — a container
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. tube — the underground
  13. club — a group
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. cold — not warm
  17. mark — a grade
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. toast — bread
  20. club — for golf
  21. rock — a stone
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. capital — money

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