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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. spell — letters
  3. spell — a short time
  4. file — a tool
  5. kick — in football
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. dip — to sink
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. spell — magic
  11. file — a line of people
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. capital — a city
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. file — a document
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. stand — to bear

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