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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. cap — a hat
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. tube — a container
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. cap — a lid
  11. game — wild animals
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. tube — the underground
  14. march — music
  15. stand — to bear
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. game — a match
  19. march — the month
  20. march — the month
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. rash — a series
  24. cap — of ice

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