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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 giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. key — for a lock
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. ground — the earth
  7. key — the most important part
  8. spring — a coil
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. kid — to tease
  12. spring — of water
  13. kid — child
  14. spring — the season
  15. ground — a position
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. key — in music
  18. bore — to tire
  19. cap — a hat
  20. ground — crushed
  21. bore — to drill
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. cap — a lid
  24. hide — to keep secret

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