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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. mug — to rob
  3. can — a tin
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. net — in sport
  6. rest — what's left
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. lean — to bend
  9. can — a tin
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. rest — what's left
  12. mug — a face
  13. degree — temperature
  14. mug — a cup
  15. can — to be able to
  16. net — after costs
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. rest — a break
  19. capital — money
  20. degree — from a university
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. capital — a city
  23. net — for catching
  24. degree — an amount

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