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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. spring — of water
  3. lean — thin
  4. spring — a coil
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. capital — a city
  9. spring — the season
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. capital — money
  13. ball — a great time
  14. lean — to bend
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. lean — to rest against

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