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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  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. capital — money
  2. rule — a law
  3. spring — the season
  4. key — in music
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. ground — the earth
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. key — the most important part
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. ground — a position
  12. plane — a tool
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. ground — crushed
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. capital — a city
  18. key — for a lock
  19. rule — government
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. spring — of water
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. plane — an aircraft
  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