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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. lean — to bend
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. can — to be able to
  8. cap — a hat
  9. cap — of ice
  10. capital — money
  11. saw — the tool
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. chest — a box
  14. can — a tin
  15. bass — the fish
  16. saw — the tool
  17. lean — thin
  18. can — a tin
  19. mine — for digging
  20. chest — of your body
  21. cap — a lid
  22. capital — a city
  23. chest — of your body
  24. bass — low music

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