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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: net · calf · cold · season · rest · hide · coach · mug

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. mug — a face
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. season — of the year
  5. net — in sport
  6. cold — not warm
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. rest — a break
  10. cold — an illness
  11. net — after costs
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. net — for catching
  14. season — in sport
  15. rest — what's left
  16. mug — a cup
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. mug — to rob
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. rest — what's left
  24. season — to add flavour

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