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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 120 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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. bear — the animal
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. spell — a short time
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. cap — a lid
  10. band — a music group
  11. spell — magic
  12. game — wild animals
  13. cap — a hat
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. band — a ring
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. game — a match
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. bear — the animal
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. cap — of ice
  24. bear — to put up with

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