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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: racket · pass · lash · calf · drill · court · cell · cap

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. drill — a practice
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. cell — a phone
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. court — for sport
  10. cap — of ice
  11. cap — a lid
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. cell — in biology
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. drill — the tool
  16. drill — army training
  17. court — of law
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. court — of a king
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. pass — a permit
  24. calf — a young animal

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