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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 120 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 beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. snap — to click
  4. rock — a stone
  5. rush — hurry
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. scale — size or range
  12. capital — a city
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. rock — music
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. scale — in music
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. capital — money

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