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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. capital — money
  3. capital — a city
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. pitch — completely
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. season — of the year
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. chair — a leader
  13. root — of a plant
  14. ball — a dance
  15. root — the cause
  16. fall — to drop
  17. root — of a word
  18. ball — a great time
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. fall — to drop
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. season — in sport
  24. pitch — a sports field

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