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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 beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. capital — money
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. scale — size or range
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. swing — to play on
  10. swing — music
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. scale — in music
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. capital — a city
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. season — in sport
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. season — of the year
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. swing — in golf

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