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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 lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. swing — to play on
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. capital — money
  6. fall — to drop
  7. swing — music
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. fall — to drop
  10. ground — crushed
  11. lean — thin
  12. chest — of your body
  13. swing — in golf
  14. fall — the season
  15. ground — the earth
  16. chest — of your body
  17. lean — to bend
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. capital — a city
  22. ground — a position
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. safe — out of danger

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