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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 116 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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. cap — of ice
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. cell — a phone
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. mark — a grade
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. track — to keep track
  10. cap — a lid
  11. chair — a leader
  12. mark — a trace
  13. cell — in biology
  14. file — a document
  15. bulb — for light
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. file — a line of people
  18. track — a path
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. track — a song
  21. file — a tool
  22. bulb — for light
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. cell — in a prison

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