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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 train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  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. leaves — to go away
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. capital — a city
  4. fall — to drop
  5. mine — for digging
  6. bore — to tire
  7. pit — a hole
  8. board — a committee
  9. fall — to drop
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. capital — money
  12. fall — the season
  13. saw — the tool
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. saw — the tool
  19. bore — to drill
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. pit — in a race
  22. board — to get on
  23. leaves — lets stay
  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