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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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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: mug · cell · bay · cold · safe · calf · fine · row

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. mug — to rob
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. cold — an illness
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. fine — all right
  11. cell — a phone
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. mug — a face
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. cold — not warm
  17. row — a line
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. fine — high quality
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. row — to paddle
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. cell — in biology
  24. calf — of the leg

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