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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. capital — a city
  3. file — a document
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. file — a tool
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. pound — a weight
  9. fall — to drop
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. file — a line of people
  12. capital — money
  13. fall — to drop
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. wax — to grow
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. fall — the season
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. present — there
  21. present — a gift
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. kick — in football
  24. wax — in the ear

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