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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: firm · game · capital · bear · fall · calf · content · staff

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. fall — to drop
  3. firm — a company
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. content — the amount
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. staff — a stick
  9. capital — a city
  10. capital — money
  11. staff — employees
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. staff — employees
  14. game — wild animals
  15. bear — the animal
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. bear — the animal
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. fall — the season
  20. firm — decided
  21. content — happy
  22. firm — steady
  23. fall — to drop
  24. game — a match

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