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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. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. land — ground
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. land — to come down
  6. season — of the year
  7. can — to be able to
  8. sharp — clever
  9. bear — the animal
  10. charge — a price
  11. season — in sport
  12. capital — money
  13. can — a tin
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. charge — in control
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. capital — a city
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. charge — electricity
  21. can — a tin
  22. bear — the animal
  23. land — a country
  24. capital — a big letter

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