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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. cap — a lid
  5. kick — in football
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. net — for catching
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. ball — a dance
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. bat — the animal
  13. net — after costs
  14. cap — a hat
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. root — the cause
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. root — of a word
  21. root — of a plant
  22. net — in sport
  23. cap — of ice
  24. bat — in an idiom

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