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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 beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  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. capital — a big letter
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. lean — to bend
  4. lean — thin
  5. current — happening now
  6. ball — a great time
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. content — happy
  11. current — of water
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. capital — a city
  14. content — the amount
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. ball — a dance
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. perch — the fish
  20. current — electric
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. perch — for a bird
  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