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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 116 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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. deal — to handle
  6. fine — high quality
  7. fine — all right
  8. spring — the season
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. kid — child
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. face — part of the head
  14. rush — hurry
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. spring — a coil
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. kid — to tease
  19. face — to point toward
  20. capital — a city
  21. face — to confront
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. capital — money
  24. capital — a big letter

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