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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. rest — a break
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. prune — to trim
  7. capital — a city
  8. hand — in cards
  9. prune — to trim
  10. pitch — completely
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. capital — money
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. lean — to bend
  15. bore — to drill
  16. rest — what's left
  17. bore — to tire
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. lean — thin
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. rest — what's left
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. ruler — for measuring

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