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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. fine — all right
  3. bound — tied together
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. lean — thin
  6. fine — high quality
  7. tear — to rip
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. capital — a city
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. court — for sport
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. bound — certain
  15. lean — to bend
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. tear — from crying
  18. capital — money
  19. tear — from crying
  20. court — of law
  21. snap — to click
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. court — of a king
  24. bound — obliged

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