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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: bass · kick · cold · rock · dip · calf · cap · net

  1. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. cold — not warm
  3. bass — the fish
  4. net — after costs
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. cap — a lid
  7. net — for catching
  8. cap — of ice
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. cap — a hat
  11. bass — low music
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. net — in sport
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. kick — in football
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. rock — music
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. dip — to sink
  23. rock — a stone
  24. cold — an illness

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