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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  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. sharp — exactly
  2. capital — a city
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. fine — high quality
  6. net — in sport
  7. bore — to drill
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. net — after costs
  10. bass — low music
  11. bore — to tire
  12. fine — all right
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. sharp — clever
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. net — for catching
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. bass — the fish
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  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