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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: cold · coach · mate · calf · bound · object · pit · clip

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. pit — in a race
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. clip — for paper
  5. object — a thing
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. object — to protest
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. cold — not warm
  10. clip — a video
  11. mate — to breed
  12. object — an aim
  13. mate — a friend
  14. bound — tied together
  15. clip — to cut
  16. pit — a hole
  17. cold — an illness
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. bound — obliged
  20. bound — certain
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. mate — a partner

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