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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.

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

  1. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. clip — a video
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. plane — a tool
  7. row — to paddle
  8. row — a line
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. clip — to cut
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. capital — a city
  14. clip — for paper
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. capital — money
  17. deal — to handle
  18. calf — of the leg

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