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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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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: trunk · calf · perch · racket · mate · cold · cabinet · fine

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. mate — a friend
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. mate — to breed
  15. fine — high quality
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. cold — not warm
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. fine — all right
  21. cold — an illness
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. perch — the fish

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