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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. foot — a measure
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. rush — hurry
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. race — a contest
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. capital — money
  11. cold — an illness
  12. ball — a dance
  13. net — after costs
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. race — the arms race
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. net — in sport
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. cold — not warm
  20. net — for catching
  21. race — humankind
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. ball — a great time

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