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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. drill — army training
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. drill — a practice
  5. ground — a position
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. ground — the earth
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. cap — a lid
  13. drill — the tool
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. cap — of ice
  17. root — of a plant
  18. root — of a word
  19. root — the cause
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. ground — crushed

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