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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. spell — a short time
  3. bound — obliged
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. bound — certain
  7. capital — a city
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. bound — tied together
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. lean — thin
  13. spell — magic
  14. can — to be able to
  15. can — a tin
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. capital — money
  18. wound — an injury
  19. can — a tin
  20. toast — bread
  21. lean — to bend
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. spell — letters
  24. wound — an injury

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