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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 116 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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. track — to keep track
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. clip — a video
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. lean — thin
  9. clip — to cut
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. lie — to recline
  12. track — a path
  13. kick — in football
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. rush — hurry
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. track — a song
  19. capital — a city
  20. capital — money
  21. clip — for paper
  22. lean — to bend
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. kick — a thrill

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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