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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. swing — music
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. capital — a city
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. lean — thin
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. wind — moving air
  9. present — the time now
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. present — there
  12. capital — money
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. wind — moving air
  15. swing — to play on
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. kick — in football
  18. swing — in golf
  19. present — a gift
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. rash — a series
  22. rash — hasty
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. kick — a thrill

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