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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. kid — to tease
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. mate — a partner
  6. mate — a friend
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. bat — the animal
  9. lie — to recline
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. kid — child
  12. capital — a city
  13. chip — for betting
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. capital — money
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. chip — to eat
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. mate — to breed
  20. fork — in a road
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. lean — to bend
  23. lean — thin
  24. fork — a garden tool

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