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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 beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. rash — a series
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. cap — of ice
  6. capital — a city
  7. current — happening now
  8. rash — hasty
  9. current — of water
  10. cap — a hat
  11. pit — a hole
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. pit — in a race
  15. hand — help
  16. capital — money
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. cap — a lid
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. hand — in cards
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. current — electric

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