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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. content — the amount
  5. bound — obliged
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. tube — a container
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. tube — the underground
  11. perch — the fish
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. bound — certain
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. content — happy
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. bound — tied together
  22. foot — a measure
  23. capital — money
  24. plane — a tool

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