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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 one o'clock ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. cap — a lid
  4. band — a music group
  5. cap — a hat
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. sharp — clever
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. cap — of ice
  11. mine — for digging
  12. band — a ring
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. perch — the fish
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. ball — a dance
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. ball — a great time
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. mine — an explosive

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