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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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Word bank
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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 keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  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. track — to keep track
  2. squash — the sport
  3. capital — a city
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. kick — in football
  7. capital — money
  8. track — a path
  9. cell — a phone
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. track — a song
  12. kid — child
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. cell — in biology
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. bark — to shout
  20. kid — to tease
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. squash — to crush
  23. kick — a thrill
  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