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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. tear — from crying
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. degree — from a university
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. drill — a practice
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. rash — a series
  12. rash — hasty
  13. drill — army training
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. capital — a city
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. degree — an amount
  19. drill — the tool
  20. degree — temperature
  21. tear — to rip
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. tear — from crying
  24. rash — on the skin

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