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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 120 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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. cap — of ice
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. kid — to tease
  11. bore — to tire
  12. cap — a hat
  13. bore — to drill
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. cap — a lid
  16. game — a match
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. game — wild animals
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. kid — child
  22. perch — the fish
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. game — a kind of play

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