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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 muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. squash — the sport
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. fall — to drop
  5. capital — money
  6. track — a song
  7. pit — a hole
  8. track — to keep track
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. capital — a city
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. mark — a trace
  13. squash — to crush
  14. pit — in a race
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. staff — a stick
  17. mark — a grade
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. staff — employees
  21. fall — the season
  22. fall — to drop
  23. staff — employees
  24. squash — the vegetable

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