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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. drill — a practice
  3. drill — the tool
  4. capital — a city
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. bank — of a river
  8. capital — money
  9. rash — a series
  10. bank — for money
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. rash — hasty
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. rock — music
  15. bank — for money
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. rock — a stone
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. cold — not warm
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. pitch — completely
  22. cold — an illness
  23. lean — to bend
  24. drill — army training

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