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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: chair · stick · jam · fork · fall · temple · calf · cold

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. cold — an illness
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. chair — a leader
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. fall — to drop
  12. fork — in a road
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. fall — to drop
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. cold — not warm
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. calf — of the leg

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