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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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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 · calf · chair · wound · kick · fan · capital · vault

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. capital — a city
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. rest — a break
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. wound — an injury
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. chair — a leader
  15. vault — a safe
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. capital — money
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. rest — what's left
  23. rest — what's left
  24. fan — a supporter

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