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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. craft — boats
  3. capital — money
  4. craft — a skill
  5. kid — to tease
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. rock — a stone
  10. capital — a city
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. game — a match
  14. kid — child
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. rock — music
  19. cell — in biology
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. game — wild animals
  22. cell — a phone
  23. lie — to recline
  24. lie — an untruth

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