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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. capital — a city
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. last — final
  9. lean — thin
  10. bat — the animal
  11. deal — to handle
  12. last — finally
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. field — for sport
  15. bore — to drill
  16. last — to go on
  17. bore — to tire
  18. field — farmland
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. capital — money
  21. field — a subject
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. lean — to bend
  24. deal — an agreement

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