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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 · coach · calf · ball · perch · stand · sharp · dip

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. ball — a great time
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. ball — a dance
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. perch — the fish
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. sharp — clever
  15. stand — to bear
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. bore — to tire
  18. dip — to sink
  19. bore — to drill
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. stand — on your feet

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