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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. present — the time now
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. net — for catching
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. rash — a series
  12. net — in sport
  13. cap — a hat
  14. cap — a lid
  15. present — a gift
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. toast — bread
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. bark — to shout
  20. deal — to handle
  21. present — there
  22. net — after costs
  23. rash — hasty
  24. deal — a big deal

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