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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 beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. pitch — completely
  4. capital — money
  5. vault — a safe
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. net — for catching
  9. face — part of the head
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. board — a committee
  12. board — to get on
  13. ball — a dance
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. net — after costs
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. capital — a city
  18. net — in sport
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. face — to point toward
  23. face — to confront
  24. ball — a great time

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