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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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Word bank
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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. game — a match
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. spring — of water
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. cap — a hat
  7. cap — of ice
  8. season — of the year
  9. game — wild animals
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. ball — a great time
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. cap — a lid
  19. spring — the season
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. season — in sport
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. ball — a dance
  24. cabinet — ministers

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