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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. kick — in football
  3. capital — money
  4. can — a tin
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. can — to be able to
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. cap — a hat
  9. net — after costs
  10. cap — a lid
  11. lean — thin
  12. net — in sport
  13. net — for catching
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. rash — hasty
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. rash — a series
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. lean — to bend
  22. cap — of ice
  23. capital — a city
  24. can — a tin

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