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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. present — a gift
  4. cap — a lid
  5. bat — the animal
  6. kick — in football
  7. mug — a cup
  8. mug — to rob
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. present — the time now
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. present — there
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. fall — the season
  15. fall — to drop
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. mug — a face
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. cap — a hat
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. fall — to drop
  24. calf — of the leg

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