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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. lean — to bend
  5. capital — a city
  6. ball — a great time
  7. spring — a coil
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. capital — money
  12. lean — thin
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. pass — a permit
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. spring — of water
  17. spring — the season
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. ball — a dance
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. lean — to rest against

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