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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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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: chest · calf · net · stand · cold · coach · staff · rule

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. stand — to bear
  3. net — in sport
  4. cold — an illness
  5. staff — employees
  6. rule — government
  7. chest — a box
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. cold — not warm
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. rule — a law
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. net — for catching
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. staff — employees
  20. staff — a stick
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. net — after costs
  23. chest — of your body
  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