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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: saw · jam · pitcher · coach · degree · chest · calf · dip

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. chest — a box
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. saw — the tool
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. dip — to sink
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. chest — of your body
  14. degree — from a university
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. chest — of your body
  17. degree — an amount
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. saw — the tool
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. degree — temperature
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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