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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 works in a ________________ mill.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. cue — for pool
  4. capital — a city
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. saw — the tool
  10. pit — in a race
  11. cue — a hint
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. pit — a hole
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. season — of the year
  16. season — in sport
  17. cue — a signal
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. snap — to click
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. capital — money
  22. kick — in football
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. kick — with a leg

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