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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. pit — a hole
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. fall — the season
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. land — ground
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. land — to come down
  9. lean — thin
  10. squash — the sport
  11. lean — to bend
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. fall — to drop
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. squash — to crush
  17. land — a country
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. fall — to drop
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. pit — in a race
  24. capital — a city

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