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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 is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. lean — thin
  3. degree — an amount
  4. kid — to tease
  5. capital — a city
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. degree — from a university
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. capital — money
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. spell — magic
  13. vault — a safe
  14. kid — child
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. lean — to bend
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. spell — a short time
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. spell — letters
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. degree — temperature
  24. nail — for a hammer

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