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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: fall · ball · capital · pop · date · bore · rash · calf

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. ball — a great time
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. rash — hasty
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. pop — soda
  8. capital — a city
  9. bore — to drill
  10. capital — money
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. date — the fruit
  16. bore — to tire
  17. fall — the season
  18. pop — music
  19. fall — to drop
  20. ball — a dance
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. rash — a series
  23. pop — to visit
  24. bore — gave birth

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