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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.

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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: fine · cold · capital · board · sharp · straw · calf · fall

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. board — to get on
  6. board — a committee
  7. fine — high quality
  8. cold — not warm
  9. cold — an illness
  10. fall — to drop
  11. sharp — clever
  12. fall — the season
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. capital — money
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. fine — all right
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. fall — to drop
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. capital — a city
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. sharp — with an edge

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