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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. march — the month
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. kick — in football
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. squash — the sport
  8. march — the month
  9. march — music
  10. bear — the animal
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. dip — to sink
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. capital — money
  15. bear — the animal
  16. capital — a city
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. squash — to crush
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. trunk — of a tree

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