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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. lean — thin
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. court — of a king
  5. can — a tin
  6. lean — to bend
  7. tear — from crying
  8. capital — a city
  9. bear — the animal
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. court — of law
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. tear — from crying
  15. can — a tin
  16. rush — hurry
  17. fall — to drop
  18. capital — money
  19. fall — to drop
  20. bear — the animal
  21. tear — to rip
  22. fall — the season
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. court — for sport

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