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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 120 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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. bound — obliged
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. land — to come down
  9. pound — a weight
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. bound — certain
  12. land — ground
  13. cap — of ice
  14. land — a country
  15. bound — tied together
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. degree — from a university
  20. stand — to bear
  21. degree — an amount
  22. cap — a lid
  23. degree — temperature
  24. stand — for spectators

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