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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. shower — rain
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. shower — to wash
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. staff — employees
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. capital — money
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. staff — a stick
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. staff — employees
  24. ruler — a monarch

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