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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: bore · calf · kick · cold · rush · racket · clip · cue

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. clip — to cut
  4. bore — to tire
  5. cue — a signal
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. cue — for pool
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. clip — a video
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. cold — not warm
  12. clip — for paper
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. bore — to drill
  15. kick — in football
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. cue — a hint
  23. rush — hurry
  24. rush — to hurry

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