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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. kick — in football
  5. capital — money
  6. ground — crushed
  7. capital — a city
  8. ground — the earth
  9. spring — the season
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. lean — thin
  13. ground — a position
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. spring — a coil
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. lean — to bend
  20. rash — a series
  21. rash — hasty
  22. spring — of water
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. lean — to rest against

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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