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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. fine — all right
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. march — the month
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. chest — of your body
  10. march — the month
  11. rock — music
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. lie — to recline
  14. fine — high quality
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. march — music
  17. cap — of ice
  18. chest — of your body
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. chest — a box
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. cap — a lid
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. rock — a stone

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