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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. board — a committee
  4. wind — moving air
  5. kick — in football
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. capital — money
  8. board — to get on
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. perch — the fish
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. bear — the animal
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. capital — a city
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. bear — the animal
  22. wind — moving air
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. calf — of the leg

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