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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. object — a thing
  3. capital — money
  4. track — to keep track
  5. capital — a city
  6. present — a gift
  7. object — an aim
  8. track — a song
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. track — a path
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. present — the time now
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. squash — the sport
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. squash — to crush
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. present — there
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. hide — animal skin

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