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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. tear — from crying
  4. court — for sport
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. court — of law
  7. capital — a city
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. staff — employees
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. bore — to drill
  13. capital — money
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. court — of a king
  17. tear — from crying
  18. staff — a stick
  19. tear — to rip
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. staff — employees
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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