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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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. capital — a city
  4. fine — high quality
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. clip — to cut
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. fine — all right
  14. vault — a safe
  15. lean — to bend
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. clip — for paper
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. lean — thin
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. clip — a video
  23. perch — the fish
  24. capital — money

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