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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. rest — what's left
  3. capital — money
  4. capital — a city
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. race — humankind
  7. court — of law
  8. lean — thin
  9. race — a contest
  10. lean — to bend
  11. race — the arms race
  12. court — of a king
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. mate — to breed
  15. court — for sport
  16. rest — what's left
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. mate — a friend
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. mate — a partner
  23. rest — a break
  24. nail — for a hammer

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