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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. chest — a box
  3. fork — in a road
  4. lean — to bend
  5. pop — music
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. bound — obliged
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. bound — certain
  11. capital — a city
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. chest — of your body
  14. capital — money
  15. bound — tied together
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. spell — letters
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pop — to visit
  20. spell — magic
  21. pop — soda
  22. chest — of your body
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. spell — a short time

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