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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. capital — money
  4. club — for dancing
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. fall — to drop
  7. plane — a tool
  8. fall — the season
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. row — a line
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. club — a group
  13. stock — goods
  14. cap — of ice
  15. cap — a hat
  16. row — to paddle
  17. stock — shares
  18. capital — a city
  19. club — for golf
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. fall — to drop
  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