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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 116 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 was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. mug — to rob
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. capital — a city
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. saw — the tool
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. capital — money
  12. mine — for digging
  13. pass — a permit
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. swing — to play on
  16. swing — music
  17. mug — a face
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. mug — a cup
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. saw — the tool
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. swing — in golf

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