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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. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. ground — a position
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. squash — the sport
  8. hand — in cards
  9. dip — to sink
  10. cap — of ice
  11. ground — the earth
  12. season — of the year
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. ground — crushed
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. squash — to crush
  18. hand — help
  19. foot — a measure
  20. cap — a hat
  21. cap — a lid
  22. season — in sport
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. hand — part of the body

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