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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. lean — thin
  3. mark — a grade
  4. capital — a city
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. rush — hurry
  11. lean — to bend
  12. deal — to handle
  13. mark — a trace
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. capital — money
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. scale — in music
  20. kick — in football
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. scale — size or range
  23. chair — a leader
  24. mark — to pay attention

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