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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. kick — in football
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. foot — a measure
  9. capital — money
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. row — to paddle
  12. chest — of your body
  13. capital — a city
  14. chest — of your body
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. row — a line
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. fork — in a road
  24. rush — hurry

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