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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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. saw — the tool
  4. capital — money
  5. sharp — clever
  6. mug — a cup
  7. kick — in football
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. mug — to rob
  13. pound — a weight
  14. branch — a division
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. capital — a city
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. saw — the tool
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. mug — a face

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