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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 big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. game — a match
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. swing — in golf
  6. fine — all right
  7. game — wild animals
  8. roll — a cake
  9. capital — money
  10. swing — to play on
  11. stem — to come from
  12. capital — a city
  13. club — for golf
  14. swing — music
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. club — for dancing
  18. club — a group
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. roll — a list
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. fine — high quality
  24. calf — a young animal

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