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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 120 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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. club — for dancing
  4. capital — money
  5. capital — a city
  6. mug — a cup
  7. mate — a friend
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. mug — to rob
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. mug — a face
  12. mate — a partner
  13. mate — to breed
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. present — the time now
  18. row — to paddle
  19. present — there
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. club — a group
  22. row — a line
  23. present — a gift
  24. club — for golf

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