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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 116 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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. present — a gift
  3. mug — a face
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. object — an aim
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. capital — a city
  9. ball — a dance
  10. capital — money
  11. present — the time now
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. mug — to rob
  15. present — there
  16. mug — a cup
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. ball — a great time
  19. object — to protest
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. object — a thing

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