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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: fine · calf · cap · swing · clip · net · perch · rest

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. cap — of ice
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. perch — the fish
  6. cap — a hat
  7. net — for catching
  8. clip — to cut
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. rest — what's left
  11. net — in sport
  12. swing — in golf
  13. fine — high quality
  14. rest — what's left
  15. cap — a lid
  16. clip — for paper
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. swing — music
  19. fine — all right
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. net — after costs
  22. swing — to play on
  23. clip — a video
  24. rest — a break

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