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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. cell — a phone
  4. season — of the year
  5. capital — money
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. staff — a stick
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. lean — thin
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. staff — employees
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. lean — to bend
  16. capital — a city
  17. content — happy
  18. staff — employees
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. cell — in biology
  22. foot — a measure
  23. content — the amount
  24. season — in sport

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