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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. capital — money
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. club — for golf
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. ground — a position
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. capital — a city
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. hand — help
  18. hand — in cards
  19. ground — crushed
  20. pass — a permit
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. club — a group
  23. ground — the earth
  24. racket — a loud noise

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