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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. can — a tin
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. bore — to drill
  6. mug — a cup
  7. staff — a stick
  8. bore — to tire
  9. can — to be able to
  10. staff — employees
  11. lean — thin
  12. can — a tin
  13. swing — to play on
  14. mug — a face
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. staff — employees
  20. swing — music
  21. capital — a city
  22. lean — to bend
  23. capital — money
  24. swing — in golf

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