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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 116 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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. pound — a weight
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. capital — money
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. wound — an injury
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. mug — a cup
  11. mug — a face
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. cold — not warm
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. capital — a city
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. cold — an illness
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. wound — an injury
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. pound — to hit hard

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