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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: cell · drill · calf · club · cabinet · mine · foot · cold

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. cell — a phone
  3. cold — an illness
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. cell — in biology
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. drill — the tool
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. club — a group
  13. drill — army training
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. club — for golf
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. foot — a measure
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. cold — not warm
  22. club — for dancing
  23. drill — a practice
  24. mine — for digging

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