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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: club · coach · calf · fork · ground · cold · fine · safe

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. club — a group
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. fine — all right
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. cold — not warm
  9. ground — crushed
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. ground — the earth
  12. club — for golf
  13. cold — an illness
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. fine — high quality
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. fork — in a road
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. ground — a position

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