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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 120 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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. capital — money
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. capital — a city
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. wound — an injury
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. wake — a trail
  10. game — wild animals
  11. game — a match
  12. mine — for digging
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. wound — an injury
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. lie — to recline
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. straw — dry grass

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