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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 116 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 hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. spell — letters
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. capital — money
  11. hand — help
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. spell — a short time
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. game — a match
  19. game — wild animals
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. hand — in cards
  22. capital — a city
  23. spell — magic
  24. calf — a young animal

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