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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. cap — a lid
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. capital — a city
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. can — a tin
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. capital — money
  15. can — to be able to
  16. kid — to tease
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. game — wild animals
  20. cap — of ice
  21. dip — to sink
  22. game — a match
  23. cap — a hat
  24. kid — child

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