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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: kick · season · calf · capital · perch · saw · cap · race

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. cap — a hat
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. saw — the tool
  5. kick — in football
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. season — in sport
  10. cap — a lid
  11. race — a contest
  12. race — humankind
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. season — of the year
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. saw — the tool
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. race — the arms race
  19. cap — of ice
  20. capital — money
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. capital — a city
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. perch — the fish

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