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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 was locked up in a ________________.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. chest — of your body
  5. chest — a box
  6. cap — of ice
  7. chest — of your body
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. bat — the animal
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. cap — a lid
  14. cap — a hat
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. sharp — clever
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. cell — in biology
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. cell — a phone
  24. stand — to bear

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