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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. bass — the fish
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. rest — what's left
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. cap — a hat
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. lean — to bend
  10. bass — low music
  11. cold — an illness
  12. land — a country
  13. rest — what's left
  14. land — ground
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. land — to come down
  19. cap — of ice
  20. lean — thin
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. cold — not warm
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. rest — a break

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