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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. wind — moving air
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. court — for sport
  6. season — of the year
  7. mark — a grade
  8. season — in sport
  9. capital — money
  10. wind — moving air
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. court — of a king
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. hand — in cards
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. hand — help
  17. fall — to drop
  18. court — of law
  19. capital — a city
  20. fall — the season
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. fall — to drop
  24. capital — a big letter

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