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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. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. march — the month
  3. key — the most important part
  4. march — music
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. stem — to come from
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. key — in music
  11. capital — a city
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. key — for a lock
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. pound — a weight
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. capital — money
  22. march — the month
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. pound — for dogs

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