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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 116 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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468
Word bank
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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. capital — money
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. lean — thin
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. rest — what's left
  10. rest — what's left
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. lie — to recline
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. kid — to tease
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. spring — the season
  18. lean — to bend
  19. chair — a leader
  20. kid — child
  21. spring — a coil
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. spring — of water
  24. rest — a break

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