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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. spell — a short time
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. lean — thin
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. cold — not warm
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. dip — to sink
  14. spell — magic
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. cold — an illness
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. spell — letters
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. stand — to bear
  21. lean — to bend
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. capital — money
  24. stand — for spectators

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