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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. kick — in football
  3. sharp — clever
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. capital — money
  6. chip — to eat
  7. bulb — for light
  8. capital — a city
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. chip — for betting
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. bulb — for light
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. lean — thin
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. lean — to bend
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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