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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. capital — money
  3. hand — in cards
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. fine — all right
  6. court — of law
  7. fine — high quality
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. lean — to bend
  12. lean — thin
  13. court — for sport
  14. dip — to sink
  15. hand — help
  16. lie — to recline
  17. season — of the year
  18. season — in sport
  19. court — of a king
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. capital — a city

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