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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: chair · club · game · capital · calf · file · hand · mark

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. mark — a trace
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. club — for dancing
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. file — a tool
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. game — a match
  9. club — for golf
  10. capital — a city
  11. chair — a leader
  12. mark — a grade
  13. file — a line of people
  14. club — a group
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. game — wild animals
  18. capital — money
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. file — a document
  21. hand — in cards
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. hand — help

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