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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. cap — a lid
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. cap — a hat
  7. chest — of your body
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. cell — in biology
  10. cap — of ice
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. fall — to drop
  13. chest — of your body
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. ball — a great time
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. cell — a phone
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. fall — the season
  21. chest — a box
  22. ball — a dance
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. fall — to drop

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