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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. drill — a practice
  4. mate — to breed
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. drill — army training
  7. capital — money
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. kid — child
  10. kid — to tease
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. rest — what's left
  14. mate — a friend
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. drill — the tool
  18. mate — a partner
  19. rest — what's left
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. capital — a city

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