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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: rest · pop · capital · game · object · lie · calf · last

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  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. object — a thing
  2. object — to protest
  3. pop — to visit
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. object — an aim
  7. game — wild animals
  8. last — final
  9. capital — a city
  10. rest — what's left
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. game — a match
  13. pop — music
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. rest — what's left
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. pop — soda
  20. last — to go on
  21. last — finally
  22. rest — a break
  23. lie — to recline
  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