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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. court — for sport
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. mug — a face
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. board — to get on
  7. field — for sport
  8. lie — to recline
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. field — farmland
  12. cap — a lid
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. mug — to rob
  15. cap — of ice
  16. field — a subject
  17. board — a committee
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. court — of law
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. court — of a king
  23. mug — a cup
  24. calf — of the leg

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