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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. race — humankind
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. fall — to drop
  14. capital — a city
  15. race — the arms race
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. race — a contest
  18. game — a match
  19. fall — the season
  20. capital — money
  21. fall — to drop
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. branch — a division
  24. game — wild animals

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