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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 116 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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. pop — music
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. capital — money
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. capital — a city
  8. pop — soda
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. pop — to visit
  11. mark — a grade
  12. stand — to bear
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. drill — army training
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. drill — the tool
  17. mark — a trace
  18. drill — a practice
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. fork — in a road
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. scale — in music

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