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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 124 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 polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. net — in sport
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. wind — moving air
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. net — after costs
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. roll — a list
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. cap — a hat
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. net — for catching
  16. pit — in a race
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. cap — a lid
  19. roll — a cake
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. wind — moving air
  23. pit — a hole
  24. roll — on a roll

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