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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 120 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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. sharp — clever
  3. chip — to eat
  4. present — a gift
  5. capital — a city
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. capital — money
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. present — the time now
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. chip — for betting
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. rest — what's left
  16. present — there
  17. mug — to rob
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. mug — a cup
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. rest — what's left
  22. lean — thin
  23. rest — a break
  24. mug — a face

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