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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: squash · cold · bore · cap · bowl · kick · present · calf

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. squash — to crush
  3. squash — the sport
  4. cold — an illness
  5. cap — a hat
  6. kick — in football
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. cold — not warm
  13. present — there
  14. present — a gift
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. present — the time now
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. bore — to tire
  21. bore — to drill
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. cap — a lid
  24. cap — of ice

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