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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. rash — a series
  4. capital — a city
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. fine — high quality
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. cue — for pool
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. rash — hasty
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. cue — a signal
  16. tear — to rip
  17. capital — money
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. cue — a hint
  20. tear — from crying
  21. tear — from crying
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. stand — to bear
  24. fine — all right

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