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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. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. bank — for money
  4. capital — a city
  5. ball — a dance
  6. fine — all right
  7. perch — the fish
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. fine — high quality
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. rush — hurry
  16. ball — a great time
  17. capital — money
  18. bank — of a river
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. bank — for money
  24. safe — out of danger

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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