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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 124 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: track · wind · last · calf · firm · cap · kick · arm

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. cap — a lid
  3. kick — in football
  4. firm — decided
  5. cap — a hat
  6. track — to keep track
  7. track — a song
  8. last — to go on
  9. last — finally
  10. track — a path
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. firm — steady
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. wind — moving air
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. firm — a company
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. last — final
  22. wind — moving air
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. arm — part of the body

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