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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. fall — the season
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. fall — to drop
  8. mine — for digging
  9. bat — the animal
  10. capital — money
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. can — a tin
  13. rule — a law
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. can — a tin
  16. fall — to drop
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. can — to be able to
  19. rule — government
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. capital — a city
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. bat — for baseball

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