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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. swing — music
  3. cap — of ice
  4. swing — in golf
  5. swing — to play on
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. bat — the animal
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. branch — a division
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. shower — to wash
  19. rush — hurry
  20. shower — rain
  21. cap — a hat
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. bat — in an idiom

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