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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: arm · rule · sharp · dip · capital · stick · shower · lean

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. lean — thin
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. shower — to wash
  6. shower — rain
  7. capital — a city
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. lean — to bend
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. rule — a law
  16. rule — government
  17. dip — to sink
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. sharp — clever
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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