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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. capital — money
  3. face — part of the head
  4. fine — all right
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. capital — a city
  8. face — to point toward
  9. deal — to handle
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. fine — high quality
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. last — finally
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. last — final
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. face — to confront
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. last — to go on

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