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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. spring — the season
  3. land — ground
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. charge — electricity
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. cap — of ice
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. charge — a price
  10. charge — in control
  11. bore — to drill
  12. spring — of water
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. spring — a coil
  17. cap — a hat
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. land — to come down
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. land — a country
  22. bore — to tire
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. fork — in a road

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