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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. capital — money
  7. date — the fruit
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. firm — decided
  10. firm — steady
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. lean — thin
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. perch — the fish
  15. lean — to bend
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. capital — a city
  21. snap — to click
  22. firm — a company
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. pitch — completely

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