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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. rash — hasty
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. capital — a city
  5. file — a tool
  6. last — finally
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. rash — a series
  11. capital — money
  12. last — to go on
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. branch — a division
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. last — final
  17. perch — the fish
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. file — a document
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. capital — a big letter

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