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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 giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. pound — a weight
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. plane — a tool
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. land — to come down
  9. row — a line
  10. capital — a city
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. ball — a dance
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. land — a country
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. ball — a great time
  18. capital — money
  19. row — to paddle
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. land — ground
  24. calf — of the 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