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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. fall — to drop
  3. can — a tin
  4. capital — money
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. capital — a city
  11. fall — the season
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. can — a tin
  15. foot — a measure
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. can — to be able to
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. fall — to drop
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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