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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. wind — moving air
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. ground — the earth
  6. ground — crushed
  7. ground — a position
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. rash — hasty
  11. capital — a city
  12. rash — a series
  13. prune — to trim
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. wind — moving air
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. prune — to trim
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. capital — money
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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