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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 sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. capital — money
  4. mark — a trace
  5. content — the amount
  6. wind — moving air
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. present — there
  9. present — the time now
  10. capital — a city
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. wind — moving air
  14. content — happy
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. present — a gift
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. vault — a safe
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. mark — a grade

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