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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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: cap · calf · hide · fan · ball · game · cold · pound

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. game — a match
  9. pound — a weight
  10. ball — a great time
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. cap — of ice
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. ball — a dance
  15. cold — an illness
  16. game — wild animals
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. cap — a hat
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. cold — not warm

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