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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. rock — a stone
  5. capital — a city
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. lean — to bend
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. root — of a word
  10. track — a song
  11. root — of a plant
  12. track — to keep track
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. capital — money
  17. track — a path
  18. shower — rain
  19. rock — music
  20. root — the cause
  21. shower — to wash
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. wave — of the sea

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