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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. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. capital — a city
  3. capital — money
  4. club — a group
  5. swing — to play on
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. bark — to shout
  9. swing — in golf
  10. club — for dancing
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. sharp — clever
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. dip — to sink
  17. club — for golf
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. swing — music
  24. dip — to dunk

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