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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bat · fine · sharp · rest · capital · chip · prune · lean

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. sharp — clever
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. bat — the animal
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. prune — to trim
  9. rest — what's left
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. chip — to eat
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. lean — thin
  14. rest — a break
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. chip — for betting
  18. prune — to trim
  19. lean — to bend
  20. fine — high quality
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. fine — all right
  23. rest — what's left
  24. capital — money

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