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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. drill — a practice
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. capital — a city
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. rest — what's left
  9. kid — to tease
  10. capital — money
  11. kid — child
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. fine — all right
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. drill — army training
  16. face — to point toward
  17. rest — a break
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. drill — the tool
  21. fine — high quality
  22. rest — what's left
  23. face — part of the head
  24. face — to confront

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