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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: net · degree · rash · sharp · coach · calf · cap · face

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. cap — a lid
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. degree — temperature
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. rash — hasty
  8. net — after costs
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. net — for catching
  12. degree — an amount
  13. rash — a series
  14. degree — from a university
  15. net — in sport
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. cap — a hat
  19. face — part of the head
  20. face — to point toward
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. face — to confront
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. cap — of ice

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