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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: cap · club · calf · perch · wind · lash · deal · rule

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  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. club — for dancing
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. wind — moving air
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. cap — a hat
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. rule — a law
  11. cap — a lid
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. rule — government
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. cap — of ice
  16. club — for golf
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. club — a group
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. wind — moving air
  23. deal — to handle
  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