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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. capital — a city
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. pitch — completely
  12. capital — money
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. root — of a plant
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. root — of a word
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. kick — in football
  21. root — the cause
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. pitch — a sports field

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