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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 116 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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. present — the time now
  4. lean — to bend
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. capital — money
  11. present — a gift
  12. degree — an amount
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. bat — the animal
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. degree — temperature
  18. capital — a city
  19. degree — from a university
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. present — there

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