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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. capital — a city
  5. lean — to bend
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. rule — government
  10. fork — in a road
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. kid — child
  14. rock — a stone
  15. tear — to rip
  16. lean — thin
  17. tear — from crying
  18. rock — music
  19. kid — to tease
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. rule — a law
  24. tear — from crying

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