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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 protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. can — a tin
  3. capital — money
  4. roll — a cake
  5. deal — to handle
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. kick — in football
  8. board — to get on
  9. capital — a city
  10. pound — a weight
  11. roll — a list
  12. can — a tin
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. can — to be able to
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. board — a committee
  24. deal — a big deal

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