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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 hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. cap — a hat
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. court — for sport
  7. fall — the season
  8. clip — a video
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. court — of a king
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. hand — in cards
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. clip — to cut
  15. court — of law
  16. hand — help
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. cap — of ice
  21. fall — to drop
  22. cap — a lid
  23. fall — to drop
  24. clip — for paper

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