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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 116 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 ________________ went through the wall.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. capital — money
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. mark — a grade
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. capital — a city
  18. mark — a trace
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. season — of the year
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. season — in sport

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