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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 beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. suit — in cards
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. squash — to crush
  5. squash — the sport
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. present — the time now
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. suit — to fit
  12. date — the fruit
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. present — there
  15. present — a gift
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. capital — a city
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. shower — rain
  20. shower — to wash
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. suit — clothes
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. capital — money

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