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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. lean — to bend
  3. bass — the fish
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. key — in music
  6. land — to come down
  7. key — for a lock
  8. capital — a city
  9. lean — thin
  10. land — a country
  11. snap — to click
  12. key — the most important part
  13. pit — a hole
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. bass — low music
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. capital — money
  21. land — ground
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. pit — in a race
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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