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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. hand — help
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. season — in sport
  8. capital — a city
  9. last — finally
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. season — of the year
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. last — final
  16. stem — to come from
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. last — to go on
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. kick — in football
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. hand — in cards

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