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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: wound · deal · bear · cap · calf · ground · bat · pit

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. pit — a hole
  3. ground — a position
  4. deal — to handle
  5. wound — an injury
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. cap — a hat
  8. bear — the animal
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. cap — of ice
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. ground — crushed
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. bear — the animal
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. pit — in a race
  22. wound — an injury
  23. bat — the animal
  24. ground — the earth

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