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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: lean · capital · pit · roll · calf · fork · kid · swing

  1. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. swing — in golf
  4. pit — in a race
  5. lean — thin
  6. kid — child
  7. swing — music
  8. roll — a cake
  9. capital — a city
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. lean — to bend
  14. fork — in a road
  15. pit — a hole
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. swing — to play on
  19. kid — to tease
  20. capital — money
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. roll — a list
  24. roll — on a roll

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