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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. can — a tin
  6. rush — hurry
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. can — to be able to
  9. can — a tin
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. swing — music
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. swing — in golf
  15. tear — to rip
  16. tear — from crying
  17. cell — in biology
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. capital — money
  22. swing — to play on
  23. cell — a phone
  24. tear — from crying

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