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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: bat · cabinet · suit · bore · cold · scale · calf · jam

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. cold — not warm
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. bore — to drill
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. suit — in cards
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. cold — an illness
  11. bore — to tire
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. scale — size or range
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. suit — to fit
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. scale — in music
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. bat — the animal
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. suit — clothes
  24. jam — in traffic

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