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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 120 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: calf · hide · foot · rash · cold · staff · coach · chair

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. cold — not warm
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. chair — a leader
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. foot — a measure
  12. cold — an illness
  13. staff — a stick
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. staff — employees
  16. staff — employees
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. rash — hasty
  20. rash — a series
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. foot — the bottom

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