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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: calf · key · spring · straw · capital · kick · racket · tear

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. tear — from crying
  5. tear — to rip
  6. capital — money
  7. spring — a coil
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. key — the most important part
  13. tear — from crying
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. kick — in football
  16. capital — a city
  17. spring — of water
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. spring — the season
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. key — in music
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. racket — for tennis

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