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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 124 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 beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. chest — a box
  3. craft — a skill
  4. sharp — clever
  5. capital — money
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. hand — help
  8. root — the cause
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. chest — of your body
  11. root — of a plant
  12. capital — a city
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. root — of a word
  15. hand — in cards
  16. lean — to bend
  17. chest — of your body
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. rock — music
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. craft — boats
  22. lean — thin
  23. rock — a stone
  24. lean — to rest against

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