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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. fall — to drop
  4. fall — to drop
  5. last — final
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. last — to go on
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. bore — to tire
  10. fall — the season
  11. net — in sport
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. bore — to drill
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. last — finally
  17. cap — a lid
  18. wake — a trail
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. net — after costs
  21. net — for catching
  22. cap — a hat
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. wake — before a funeral

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