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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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. spring — of water
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. spring — the season
  11. capital — a city
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. drill — army training
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. drill — the tool
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. capital — money
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. drill — a practice
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. spring — a coil

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