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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. pitch — completely
  3. lean — thin
  4. spell — letters
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. spell — a short time
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. bark — to shout
  11. capital — money
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. spell — magic
  20. capital — a city
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. dip — to sink

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