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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. sharp — clever
  4. capital — money
  5. rule — a law
  6. bore — to tire
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. pitch — completely
  10. last — finally
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. bore — to drill
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. capital — a city
  18. last — to go on
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. rule — government
  24. last — final

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