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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. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. cue — a signal
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. sharp — clever
  7. cap — a lid
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. cue — for pool
  11. wind — moving air
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. cap — of ice
  14. scale — in music
  15. stem — to come from
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. cue — a hint
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. scale — size or range
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. cap — a hat
  23. wind — moving air
  24. stem — of a plant

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