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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 116 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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. row — to paddle
  5. fine — all right
  6. ball — a great time
  7. spell — letters
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. capital — a city
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. file — a tool
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. file — a line of people
  15. file — a document
  16. row — a line
  17. spell — magic
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. ball — a dance
  21. fine — high quality
  22. spell — a short time
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. capital — money

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