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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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. present — the time now
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. game — a match
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. present — there
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. present — a gift
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. capital — money
  21. capital — a city
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. deal — to handle

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