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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 120 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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. suit — to fit
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. rash — a series
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. chest — a box
  9. row — to paddle
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. wax — to grow
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. suit — clothes
  16. rash — hasty
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. row — a line
  19. capital — a city
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. chest — of your body
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. chest — of your body
  24. suit — in cards

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