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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. capital — money
  3. content — happy
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. tear — from crying
  6. present — there
  7. present — the time now
  8. lean — to bend
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. present — a gift
  17. capital — a city
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. snap — to click
  20. lean — thin
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. content — the amount
  23. tear — from crying
  24. tear — to rip

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