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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. pop — music
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. mine — for digging
  6. cap — a lid
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. key — the most important part
  9. cap — a hat
  10. cap — of ice
  11. pop — to visit
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. key — for a lock
  14. pop — soda
  15. key — in music
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. mine — belonging to me

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