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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. spell — magic
  3. capital — a city
  4. rock — music
  5. spell — letters
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. rest — a break
  9. ground — crushed
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. spell — a short time
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. bear — the animal
  15. capital — money
  16. ground — a position
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. rock — a stone
  20. rest — what's left
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. pass — a permit
  23. ground — the earth
  24. bear — the animal

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