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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: suit · season · cap · cold · temple · calf · firm · wind

  1. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. season — of the year
  3. cap — of ice
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. firm — steady
  6. wind — moving air
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. cold — not warm
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. firm — a company
  11. suit — in cards
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. wind — moving air
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. suit — to fit
  16. cap — a hat
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. cap — a lid
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. cold — an illness
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. firm — decided
  24. season — in sport

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