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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. capital — money
  4. present — there
  5. bear — the animal
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. rash — a series
  8. kick — in football
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. present — the time now
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. present — a gift
  14. rush — hurry
  15. rash — hasty
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. lean — to bend
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. bear — the animal
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. capital — a city
  24. sharp — clever

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