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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 116 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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. mug — a face
  3. capital — a city
  4. pit — in a race
  5. mug — to rob
  6. lean — to bend
  7. lean — thin
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. kid — to tease
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. kid — child
  14. staff — a stick
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. staff — employees
  18. staff — employees
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. capital — money
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. mug — a cup
  23. cell — in biology
  24. cell — a phone

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