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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. lean — thin
  3. lean — to bend
  4. pitch — completely
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. chest — of your body
  7. pop — music
  8. chest — of your body
  9. chest — a box
  10. pop — to visit
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. capital — a city
  13. pop — soda
  14. content — the amount
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. content — happy
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. pass — a permit
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. capital — money

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