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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 116 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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. capital — money
  5. ground — the earth
  6. clip — for paper
  7. capital — a city
  8. snap — to click
  9. lean — thin
  10. clip — a video
  11. clip — to cut
  12. bore — to drill
  13. ground — crushed
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. lean — to bend
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. bore — to tire
  24. ground — a position

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