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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 120 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. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. lean — to bend
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. chair — a leader
  7. bat — the animal
  8. lie — to recline
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. capital — a city
  11. capital — money
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. stem — to come from
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. net — after costs
  16. net — in sport
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. lean — thin
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. net — for catching
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. ruler — a monarch

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