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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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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. cap — a lid
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. bear — the animal
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. saw — the tool
  9. staff — a stick
  10. bear — the animal
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. cold — an illness
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. lean — to bend
  16. saw — the tool
  17. cold — not warm
  18. lean — thin
  19. cap — of ice
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. staff — employees
  23. staff — employees
  24. bear — to put up with

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