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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. shower — to wash
  3. foot — a measure
  4. tear — from crying
  5. tear — from crying
  6. tear — to rip
  7. suit — clothes
  8. content — the amount
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. suit — to fit
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. content — happy
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. hand — in cards
  15. hand — help
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. suit — in cards
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. capital — money
  22. shower — rain
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. foot — part of the body

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