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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. rule — a law
  7. capital — a city
  8. ball — a dance
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. ball — a great time
  12. rule — government
  13. cap — a hat
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. clip — a video
  17. clip — for paper
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. capital — money
  20. court — for sport
  21. court — of law
  22. cap — of ice
  23. court — of a king
  24. clip — to cut

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