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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 124 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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. rule — government
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. net — in sport
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. staff — employees
  8. last — final
  9. staff — employees
  10. net — after costs
  11. rule — a law
  12. stock — goods
  13. capital — money
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. staff — a stick
  16. last — finally
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. capital — a city
  19. stock — shares
  20. last — to go on
  21. net — for catching
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. stock — a soup base

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