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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 kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. capital — a city
  6. scale — size or range
  7. fine — all right
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. foot — a measure
  10. tube — the underground
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. capital — money
  13. content — the amount
  14. tube — a container
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. scale — in music
  17. content — happy
  18. fine — high quality
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. calf — of the leg

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