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

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. capital — a city
  6. capital — money
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. race — a contest
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. toast — bread
  11. race — humankind
  12. foot — a measure
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. race — the arms race
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. dip — to sink
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. stand — to bear

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