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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. cap — a lid
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. capital — money
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. fall — to drop
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. lean — thin
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. fall — the season
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. cap — of ice
  15. kick — in football
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. stock — goods
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. cap — a hat
  21. lean — to bend
  22. stock — shares
  23. capital — a city
  24. fall — to drop

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