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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. rash — a series
  7. wind — moving air
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. rash — hasty
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. cell — a phone
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. wind — moving air
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. cap — a lid
  20. cell — in biology
  21. cap — a hat
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. ruler — for measuring

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