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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. capital — a city
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. sharp — clever
  8. stand — to bear
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. cap — a hat
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. capital — money
  19. board — a committee
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. cap — a lid
  22. cap — of ice
  23. board — to get on
  24. sharp — with an edge

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