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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. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. capital — money
  3. cold — not warm
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. can — a tin
  10. kick — in football
  11. capital — a city
  12. bear — the animal
  13. last — final
  14. bear — the animal
  15. can — a tin
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. last — to go on
  18. mate — to breed
  19. cold — an illness
  20. mate — a partner
  21. last — finally
  22. can — to be able to
  23. mate — a friend
  24. kick — a thrill

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