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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 120 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 ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. shower — to wash
  3. capital — money
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. hand — in cards
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. object — a thing
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. present — a gift
  10. hand — help
  11. object — to protest
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. pass — a permit
  14. shower — rain
  15. present — there
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. present — the time now
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. object — an aim
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. capital — a city
  24. pass — to spend time

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