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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: cold · fall · calf · court · cabinet · rest · pop · mug

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. rest — what's left
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. pop — to visit
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. cold — an illness
  8. mug — to rob
  9. fall — to drop
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. pop — music
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. rest — what's left
  15. fall — the season
  16. court — of law
  17. mug — a cup
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. pop — soda
  20. court — for sport
  21. fall — to drop
  22. mug — a face
  23. court — of a king
  24. rest — a break

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