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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 protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. capital — a city
  5. wound — an injury
  6. cue — a signal
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. bear — the animal
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. spring — the season
  12. rock — a stone
  13. wound — an injury
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. spring — a coil
  16. rock — music
  17. cue — for pool
  18. spring — of water
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. capital — money
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. bear — the animal
  23. cue — a hint
  24. bear — to put up with

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