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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. staff — employees
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. staff — a stick
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. game — wild animals
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. date — the fruit
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. cap — a hat
  18. wound — an injury
  19. staff — employees
  20. bark — to shout
  21. game — a match
  22. wound — an injury
  23. cap — of ice
  24. date — on the calendar

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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