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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 116 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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. pound — a weight
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. clip — for paper
  7. bear — the animal
  8. wound — an injury
  9. bear — the animal
  10. cap — a lid
  11. wound — an injury
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. cap — a hat
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. clip — a video
  19. clip — to cut
  20. rule — government
  21. cap — of ice
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. deal — to handle
  24. bear — to put up with

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