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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. perch — the fish
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. shower — to wash
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. capital — money
  9. tear — from crying
  10. capital — a city
  11. staff — a stick
  12. craft — boats
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. kick — in football
  16. shower — rain
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. staff — employees
  19. craft — a skill
  20. tear — to rip
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. staff — employees
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. tear — from crying

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