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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 120 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 did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  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. calf — a young animal
  2. swing — to play on
  3. capital — a city
  4. swing — music
  5. swing — in golf
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. season — in sport
  8. rash — hasty
  9. rock — music
  10. prune — to trim
  11. season — of the year
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. rash — a series
  17. deal — to handle
  18. prune — to trim
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. rock — a stone
  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