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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. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. hand — help
  7. sharp — clever
  8. capital — money
  9. lean — thin
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. hand — in cards
  12. perch — the fish
  13. court — for sport
  14. lean — to bend
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. board — a committee
  17. board — to get on
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. court — of law
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. court — of a king
  24. capital — a city

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