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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. David sat on the ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. swing — to play on
  3. swing — in golf
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. capital — a city
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. spring — the season
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. swing — music
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. spring — a coil
  21. capital — money
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. spring — of water
  24. calf — a young animal

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