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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. capital — a city
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. stand — to bear
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. capital — money
  8. pitch — completely
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. current — happening now
  11. pound — a weight
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. tube — the underground
  16. current — electric
  17. bark — to shout
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. lean — to bend
  21. current — of water
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. tube — a container
  24. tube — in a tire

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