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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 · pit · row · hide · present · temple · rush · capital

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. row — a line
  5. lean — to bend
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. rush — hurry
  8. present — the time now
  9. capital — money
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. pit — a hole
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. pit — in a race
  16. row — to paddle
  17. present — a gift
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. capital — a city
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. present — there
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. lean — to rest against

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