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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 beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. staff — employees
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. bank — for money
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. staff — employees
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. capital — money
  14. bank — for money
  15. bank — of a river
  16. staff — a stick
  17. prune — to trim
  18. capital — a city
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. prune — to trim
  21. deal — to handle
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. prune — the fruit

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