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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 120 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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. scale — size or range
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. lean — thin
  7. capital — a city
  8. lean — to bend
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. bore — to tire
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. capital — money
  14. hand — help
  15. rush — hurry
  16. bore — to drill
  17. hand — in cards
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. scale — in music
  20. bat — the animal
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. scale — for weighing

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