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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 120 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 protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. lean — to bend
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. key — in music
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. capital — a city
  11. capital — money
  12. cell — a phone
  13. key — for a lock
  14. rash — a series
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. cell — in biology
  18. rash — hasty
  19. key — the most important part
  20. lean — thin
  21. mark — a trace
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. mark — a grade
  24. safe — a strongbox

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