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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 116 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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. capital — a city
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. club — a group
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. wind — moving air
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. wind — moving air
  10. club — for golf
  11. capital — money
  12. ball — a great time
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. ball — a dance
  17. club — for dancing
  18. field — a subject
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. field — farmland
  21. field — for sport
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. leaves — lets stay

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