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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. hand — help
  3. hand — in cards
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. lean — thin
  8. kid — to tease
  9. lean — to bend
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. capital — a city
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. kid — child
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. mark — a grade
  22. mark — a trace
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. temple — a place of worship

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