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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. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. capital — money
  3. drill — a practice
  4. pound — a weight
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. swing — in golf
  8. firm — steady
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. firm — a company
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. firm — decided
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. drill — army training
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. swing — to play on
  18. drill — the tool
  19. swing — music
  20. file — a line of people
  21. file — a tool
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. capital — a city
  24. file — a document

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