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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. capital — money
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. stand — to bear
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. degree — from a university
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. craft — a skill
  20. degree — an amount
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. capital — a city
  23. degree — temperature
  24. calf — of the leg

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