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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. cap — a hat
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. chair — a leader
  5. cap — a lid
  6. season — in sport
  7. season — of the year
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. land — to come down
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. land — a country
  12. ball — a great time
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. bat — the animal
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. can — a tin
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. ball — a dance
  20. cap — of ice
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. can — to be able to
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. can — a tin

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