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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. kick — in football
  3. present — the time now
  4. cap — a lid
  5. tube — a container
  6. present — there
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. chest — a box
  10. tube — the underground
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. cap — a hat
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. present — a gift
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. chest — of your body
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. chest — of your body
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. bat — the animal

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