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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 120 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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. capital — a city
  4. can — a tin
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. bear — the animal
  9. cold — not warm
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. can — a tin
  13. ball — a dance
  14. ball — a great time
  15. lean — thin
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. bear — the animal
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. capital — money
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. lean — to bend
  24. can — to be able to

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