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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. capital — money
  4. track — to keep track
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. capital — a city
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. bound — certain
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. wound — an injury
  15. bound — tied together
  16. bound — obliged
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. track — a song
  22. wound — an injury
  23. track — a path
  24. cabinet — ministers

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