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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. mate — a partner
  3. lean — to bend
  4. ball — a dance
  5. ball — a great time
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. capital — a city
  12. mate — a friend
  13. present — there
  14. present — a gift
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. present — the time now
  17. capital — money
  18. mate — to breed
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. chip — to eat
  22. chip — for betting
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. stem — to come from

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