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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: lie · capital · jam · fall · cell · straw · calf · shower

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. fall — to drop
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. fall — the season
  6. capital — money
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. lie — to recline
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. cell — a phone
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. shower — rain
  15. capital — a city
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. fall — to drop
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. shower — to wash
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. cell — in biology
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. jam — in traffic

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