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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. capital — a city
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. perch — the fish
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. hand — in cards
  16. key — the most important part
  17. key — in music
  18. fall — the season
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. sharp — clever
  21. hand — help
  22. key — for a lock
  23. capital — money
  24. fall — to drop

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