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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 beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. clip — for paper
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. rash — hasty
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. clip — to cut
  8. face — to point toward
  9. face — part of the head
  10. face — to confront
  11. rash — a series
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. squash — the sport
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. capital — money
  16. capital — a city
  17. squash — to crush
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. tube — the underground
  20. tube — a container
  21. clip — a video
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. pass — a permit

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