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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. capital — a city
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. capital — money
  7. snap — to click
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. pass — a permit
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. craft — a skill
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. drill — army training
  15. craft — boats
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. drill — the tool
  22. drill — a practice
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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