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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 116 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 was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. bass — the fish
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. cap — a hat
  5. fine — high quality
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. mine — for digging
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. cap — of ice
  13. cap — a lid
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. band — a ring
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. band — a music group
  20. dip — to sink
  21. hand — help
  22. bass — low music
  23. hand — in cards
  24. fine — all right

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