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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.

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: key · wound · mouse · saw · capital · calf · kid · spell

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. capital — a city
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. spell — magic
  5. saw — the tool
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. saw — the tool
  11. spell — letters
  12. key — the most important part
  13. spell — a short time
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. capital — money
  16. kid — child
  17. key — for a lock
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. wound — an injury
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. wound — an injury
  23. key — in music
  24. calf — of the leg

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