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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: lean · chest · mug · rash · present · ground · capital · calf

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. ground — crushed
  3. capital — money
  4. chest — of your body
  5. capital — a city
  6. present — there
  7. chest — of your body
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. ground — a position
  10. present — the time now
  11. chest — a box
  12. ground — the earth
  13. lean — thin
  14. mug — to rob
  15. present — a gift
  16. rash — hasty
  17. rash — a series
  18. lean — to bend
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. mug — a face
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. calf — a young animal

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