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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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468
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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  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. kick — a thrill
  2. pop — soda
  3. pop — music
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. object — a thing
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. capital — a city
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. pop — to visit
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. object — an aim
  14. capital — money
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. kick — in football
  18. object — to protest
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. nail — on a finger
  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