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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 did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. chair — a leader
  4. rest — what's left
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. capital — a city
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. rest — a break
  9. rush — hurry
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. craft — boats
  12. capital — money
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. craft — a skill
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. squash — to crush
  17. track — to keep track
  18. track — a song
  19. squash — the sport
  20. rest — what's left
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. track — a path
  24. rush — a thrill

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