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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. capital — a city
  5. chest — of your body
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. capital — money
  8. chest — a box
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. rock — music
  11. land — a country
  12. mug — to rob
  13. object — a thing
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. object — an aim
  16. pound — a weight
  17. land — ground
  18. mug — a face
  19. land — to come down
  20. object — to protest
  21. chest — of your body
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. rock — a stone
  24. sharp — clever

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