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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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. capital — a city
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. board — to get on
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. game — wild animals
  12. game — a match
  13. capital — money
  14. ground — a position
  15. board — a committee
  16. ground — the earth
  17. ball — a great time
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. ground — crushed
  24. lash — an eyelash

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