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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. bank — for money
  4. clip — for paper
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. capital — money
  7. capital — a city
  8. chair — a leader
  9. pass — a permit
  10. mark — a trace
  11. bank — for money
  12. plane — a tool
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. bank — of a river
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. clip — a video
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. clip — to cut
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. plane — in geometry

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