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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. craft — a skill
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. spring — the season
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. capital — a city
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. capital — money
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. spring — of water
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. craft — boats
  19. toast — bread
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. cell — a phone
  22. pitch — completely
  23. cell — in biology
  24. spring — a coil

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