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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 did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. season — of the year
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. capital — a city
  5. season — in sport
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. present — a gift
  8. degree — temperature
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. land — to come down
  11. chest — of your body
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. chest — a box
  14. present — the time now
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. present — there
  18. land — a country
  19. chest — of your body
  20. degree — an amount
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. land — ground
  23. degree — from a university
  24. capital — money

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