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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 carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. capital — a city
  3. key — the most important part
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. wound — an injury
  6. cold — an illness
  7. squash — to crush
  8. cold — not warm
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. key — in music
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. rock — a stone
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. key — for a lock
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. rock — music
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. squash — the sport
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. capital — money
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. wound — an injury

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