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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 was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. plane — a tool
  3. shower — to wash
  4. can — to be able to
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. mine — for digging
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. capital — a city
  9. charge — in control
  10. can — a tin
  11. lean — thin
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. can — a tin
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. capital — money
  16. shower — rain
  17. charge — electricity
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. mark — a trace
  20. charge — a price
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. mark — a grade
  23. lean — to bend
  24. plane — an aircraft

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