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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 did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. capital — a city
  3. charge — electricity
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. perch — the fish
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. date — the fruit
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. track — a path
  12. pass — a permit
  13. track — to keep track
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. game — wild animals
  17. charge — a price
  18. capital — money
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. charge — in control
  21. track — a song
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. game — a match
  24. date — on the calendar

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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