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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. kid — child
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. court — of a king
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. vault — a safe
  11. capital — a city
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. kid — to tease
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. board — to get on
  16. court — of law
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. board — a committee
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. court — for sport
  24. calf — a young animal

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