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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. can — a tin
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. last — finally
  5. tear — from crying
  6. capital — a city
  7. bass — low music
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. can — a tin
  10. can — to be able to
  11. tear — from crying
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. last — to go on
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. kick — in football
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. bass — the fish
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. tear — to rip
  23. capital — money
  24. kick — a thrill

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