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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. lean — thin
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. lean — to bend
  11. mine — for digging
  12. wind — moving air
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. capital — money
  20. rock — a stone
  21. capital — a city
  22. wind — moving air
  23. rock — music
  24. racket — for tennis

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