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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 lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. capital — money
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. wound — an injury
  16. wound — an injury
  17. dip — to sink
  18. sharp — clever
  19. chest — of your body
  20. capital — a city
  21. lean — thin
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. chest — of your body
  24. lean — to bend

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