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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: cold · ruler · coach · can · field · club · kick · calf

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. field — a subject
  8. club — a group
  9. club — for dancing
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. cold — not warm
  12. field — farmland
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. cold — an illness
  16. can — to be able to
  17. kick — in football
  18. club — for golf
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. field — for sport
  24. can — a tin

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