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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 hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. court — for sport
  3. lean — thin
  4. object — a thing
  5. cap — a lid
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. kid — to tease
  9. object — to protest
  10. kid — child
  11. lean — to bend
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. object — an aim
  14. mark — a grade
  15. court — of a king
  16. tear — from crying
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. tear — to rip
  21. cap — of ice
  22. tear — from crying
  23. court — of law
  24. cap — a hat

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