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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. suit — to fit
  3. pound — a weight
  4. spring — of water
  5. suit — clothes
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. spring — a coil
  8. race — the arms race
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. spring — the season
  12. cap — a lid
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. cap — of ice
  15. suit — in cards
  16. perch — the fish
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. race — humankind
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. cap — a hat
  24. race — a contest

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