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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. bore — to drill
  3. pass — a permit
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. track — to keep track
  6. spell — letters
  7. spell — a short time
  8. track — a song
  9. capital — money
  10. rest — a break
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. rest — what's left
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. track — a path
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. stand — to bear
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. spell — magic
  23. bore — to tire
  24. rest — what's left

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