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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. wound — an injury
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. pitch — completely
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. capital — a city
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. drill — the tool
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. rule — a law
  14. rule — government
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. capital — money
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. drill — army training
  21. drill — a practice
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. wound — an injury

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