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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. present — there
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. pop — music
  6. pop — soda
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. field — farmland
  10. field — a subject
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. present — a gift
  13. present — the time now
  14. pop — to visit
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. tube — the underground
  18. spring — of water
  19. field — for sport
  20. cap — a lid
  21. cap — of ice
  22. tube — a container
  23. spring — the season
  24. spring — a coil

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