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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: fall · shower · cue · calf · club · can · cold · date

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. cold — an illness
  3. shower — to wash
  4. can — a tin
  5. club — for dancing
  6. club — for golf
  7. cue — a hint
  8. fall — to drop
  9. cue — for pool
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. cue — a signal
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. cold — not warm
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. date — the fruit
  19. fall — to drop
  20. fall — the season
  21. can — to be able to
  22. shower — rain
  23. can — a tin
  24. calf — a young animal

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