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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. game — a match
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. mark — a grade
  7. capital — a city
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. kick — in football
  12. craft — a skill
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. wake — a trail
  15. craft — boats
  16. capital — money
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. mark — a trace
  23. game — wild animals
  24. kick — with a leg

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