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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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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. spring — of water
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. charge — a price
  7. cap — a hat
  8. cap — of ice
  9. spring — the season
  10. pit — in a race
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. kick — in football
  13. mine — for digging
  14. swing — music
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. charge — in control
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. spring — a coil
  21. swing — to play on
  22. pit — a hole
  23. charge — electricity
  24. swing — in golf

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