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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 get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. capital — money
  3. club — for dancing
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. fine — high quality
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. wax — to grow
  10. club — a group
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. bound — certain
  14. fine — all right
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. bound — tied together
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. kick — in football
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. bound — obliged
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. capital — a city
  24. club — for golf

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