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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. tear — from crying
  3. capital — a city
  4. game — a match
  5. bear — the animal
  6. fall — to drop
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. rock — a stone
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. fall — to drop
  13. rock — music
  14. tear — from crying
  15. capital — money
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. tear — to rip
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. season — of the year
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. season — in sport
  23. game — wild animals
  24. bear — the animal

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