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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 giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. mark — a trace
  5. root — the cause
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. cap — of ice
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. game — a match
  11. cap — a hat
  12. game — wild animals
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. root — of a plant
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. mark — a grade
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. root — of a word
  24. cap — a lid

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