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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 polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. ground — the earth
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. toast — bread
  6. swing — to play on
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. date — the fruit
  11. cap — a hat
  12. ground — crushed
  13. swing — in golf
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. cap — a lid
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. swing — music
  20. ground — a position
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. dip — to sink

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