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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 giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. file — a line of people
  4. mate — a partner
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. mate — a friend
  7. file — a document
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. cue — for pool
  10. mate — to breed
  11. cue — a signal
  12. spring — of water
  13. cue — a hint
  14. file — a tool
  15. spring — a coil
  16. cap — a lid
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. perch — the fish
  22. cap — of ice
  23. spring — the season
  24. cap — a hat

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