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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. capital — a city
  3. cue — a signal
  4. cue — a hint
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. land — to come down
  7. bear — the animal
  8. wound — an injury
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. chest — of your body
  11. bear — the animal
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. land — ground
  14. chest — of your body
  15. land — a country
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. craft — a skill
  18. chest — a box
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. cue — for pool
  23. capital — money
  24. craft — boats

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