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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. cap — of ice
  4. cap — a hat
  5. can — a tin
  6. game — a match
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. can — to be able to
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. lean — thin
  15. can — a tin
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. lean — to bend
  18. game — wild animals
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. mine — for digging
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. cap — a lid

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