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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. court — of law
  3. present — a gift
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. firm — a company
  6. cap — a hat
  7. court — for sport
  8. firm — decided
  9. track — to keep track
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. track — a song
  12. court — of a king
  13. cap — of ice
  14. kid — to tease
  15. present — there
  16. firm — steady
  17. kid — child
  18. track — a path
  19. season — in sport
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. cap — a lid
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. season — of the year

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