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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. net — for catching
  4. cap — a hat
  5. net — after costs
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. mate — a friend
  8. cap — of ice
  9. present — the time now
  10. net — in sport
  11. mate — a partner
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. cold — an illness
  15. cap — a lid
  16. mate — to breed
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. present — a gift
  20. present — there
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. cold — not warm
  24. racket — for tennis

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