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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 office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. fall — the season
  3. fall — to drop
  4. capital — a city
  5. fall — to drop
  6. firm — a company
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. saw — the tool
  11. pass — a permit
  12. mate — a partner
  13. capital — money
  14. mate — to breed
  15. mate — a friend
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. staff — a stick
  18. firm — steady
  19. firm — decided
  20. saw — the tool
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. staff — employees
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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