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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 giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell 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. calf — a young animal
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. pass — a permit
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. rash — hasty
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. game — wild animals
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. track — a song
  11. capital — a city
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. rash — a series
  15. track — a path
  16. band — a ring
  17. band — a music group
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. game — a match
  20. track — to keep track
  21. lie — to recline
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. lie — an untruth
  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