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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  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. content — happy
  3. rush — hurry
  4. lean — thin
  5. season — of the year
  6. kick — in football
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. capital — a city
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. lean — to bend
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. capital — money
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. season — in sport
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. fork — in a road
  21. content — the amount
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. kick — a thrill
  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