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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. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. spring — a coil
  4. capital — a city
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. pitch — completely
  9. roll — a list
  10. bound — obliged
  11. capital — money
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. bound — certain
  14. lean — thin
  15. wake — a trail
  16. bound — tied together
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. spring — the season
  20. lean — to bend
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. spring — of water
  23. foot — a measure
  24. roll — a cake

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