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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. cap — of ice
  4. kick — in football
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. cap — a hat
  7. bound — obliged
  8. tear — from crying
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. cap — a lid
  11. net — for catching
  12. wound — an injury
  13. wound — an injury
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. net — after costs
  17. tear — from crying
  18. tear — to rip
  19. bound — certain
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. net — in sport
  23. kick — with a leg
  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