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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 giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. date — the fruit
  10. pass — a permit
  11. sharp — clever
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. capital — a city
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. bat — the animal
  18. plane — a tool
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. capital — money
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. plane — in geometry

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