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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.

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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. bat — the animal
  3. capital — money
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. wake — a trail
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. capital — a city
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. foot — a measure
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. leaves — of a tree

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