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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. chest — of your body
  5. capital — money
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. object — a thing
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. capital — a city
  11. file — a document
  12. chest — of your body
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. file — a tool
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. object — an aim
  18. object — to protest
  19. chest — a box
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. file — a line of people
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. capital — a big letter

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