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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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. cap — a hat
  5. staff — employees
  6. mate — a partner
  7. wind — moving air
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. mate — a friend
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. ball — a great time
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. mate — to breed
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. cap — a lid
  16. staff — a stick
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. wind — moving air
  22. staff — employees
  23. pitcher — a jug
  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