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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: date · wake · cold · calf · ball · safe · foot · cell

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  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. cell — in biology
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. foot — a measure
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. ball — a dance
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. wake — a trail
  16. cell — a phone
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. cold — an illness
  19. ball — a great time
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. cold — not warm
  23. date — the fruit
  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