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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
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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: game · cap · mark · pop · wound · calf · lash · chest

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  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. mark — a trace
  2. pop — to visit
  3. chest — of your body
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. chest — a box
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. mark — a grade
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. pop — soda
  10. cap — of ice
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. wound — an injury
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. game — a match
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. chest — of your body
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. cap — a lid
  20. pop — music
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. game — wild animals
  23. wound — an injury
  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