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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. perch — the fish
  7. bound — obliged
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. fine — high quality
  10. fine — all right
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. bound — tied together
  14. capital — a city
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. bound — certain
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. band — a ring
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. band — a music group
  24. leaves — lets stay

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