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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. capital — money
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. lie — to recline
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. hand — help
  7. mug — to rob
  8. staff — employees
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. field — farmland
  11. staff — a stick
  12. capital — a city
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. mug — a face
  16. staff — employees
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. field — a subject
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. field — for sport
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. hand — in cards
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. mug — a cup

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