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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. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. game — a match
  3. pit — in a race
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. mate — a partner
  6. drill — army training
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. mate — to breed
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. drill — a practice
  11. mate — a friend
  12. ground — crushed
  13. drill — the tool
  14. ground — the earth
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. cap — a lid
  17. ground — a position
  18. pound — a weight
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. game — wild animals
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. pit — a hole
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. cap — a hat

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