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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. track — a song
  3. saw — the tool
  4. staff — employees
  5. spring — of water
  6. spring — the season
  7. staff — employees
  8. track — to keep track
  9. saw — the tool
  10. capital — money
  11. staff — a stick
  12. spring — a coil
  13. capital — a city
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. fall — to drop
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. last — final
  19. track — a path
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. fall — to drop
  22. last — finally
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. last — to go on

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