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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. cap — a hat
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. cell — a phone
  6. pop — soda
  7. can — a tin
  8. cell — in biology
  9. wind — moving air
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. content — happy
  13. bank — for money
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. bank — for money
  16. content — the amount
  17. can — a tin
  18. can — to be able to
  19. pop — music
  20. bank — of a river
  21. cap — of ice
  22. wind — moving air
  23. pop — to visit
  24. content — videos and posts

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