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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 120 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 newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. capital — a city
  4. capital — money
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. lean — thin
  8. degree — temperature
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. foot — a measure
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. degree — an amount
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. mine — for digging
  18. lean — to bend
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. sharp — clever
  22. degree — from a university
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. temple — side of the head

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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