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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 giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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 big letter
  3. pit — a hole
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. bulb — for light
  6. capital — money
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. bulb — for light
  12. season — in sport
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. pit — in a race
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. capital — a city
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. mark — a grade
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. rush — hurry
  22. mark — a trace
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. season — of the year

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