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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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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: calf · scale · racket · chest · fine · wind · capital · board

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. wind — moving air
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. capital — money
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. chest — of your body
  9. scale — in music
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. chest — of your body
  12. board — to get on
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. fine — high quality
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. board — a committee
  17. wind — moving air
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. scale — size or range
  20. capital — a city
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. chest — a box

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