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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 beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. tear — to rip
  4. capital — money
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. lie — to recline
  9. pound — a weight
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. tear — from crying
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. rash — a series
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. capital — a city
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. kid — child
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. kid — to tease
  22. tear — from crying
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. rash — hasty

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