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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 116 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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. wake — a trail
  5. capital — a city
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. deal — to handle
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. bat — the animal
  12. chip — for betting
  13. capital — money
  14. lean — to bend
  15. mark — a grade
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. chip — to eat
  19. lean — thin
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. sharp — clever
  22. mark — a trace
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. bat — for baseball

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