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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 116 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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. capital — money
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. fine — high quality
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. fine — all right
  14. lean — to bend
  15. lean — thin
  16. capital — a city
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. pitcher — a jug

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