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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. lean — to bend
  6. swing — music
  7. capital — a city
  8. land — a country
  9. kid — to tease
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. swing — to play on
  12. kid — child
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. toast — bread
  15. drill — the tool
  16. land — to come down
  17. dip — to sink
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. lean — thin
  20. drill — army training
  21. swing — in golf
  22. land — ground
  23. capital — money
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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