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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 120 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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. scale — in music
  7. land — to come down
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. chip — to eat
  11. land — a country
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. scale — size or range
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. chip — for betting
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. rock — music
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. capital — a city
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. land — ground
  23. capital — money
  24. rock — a stone

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