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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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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. capital — money
  3. sharp — clever
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. fall — to drop
  7. ball — a great time
  8. craft — boats
  9. capital — a city
  10. ball — a dance
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. craft — a skill
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. fall — the season
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. pass — a permit
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. fall — to drop
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. cell — in biology
  24. leaves — to go away

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