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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. foot — a measure
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. file — a tool
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. wind — moving air
  7. wind — moving air
  8. mug — to rob
  9. mark — a grade
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. mark — a trace
  15. file — a document
  16. mug — a cup
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. capital — a city
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. mug — a face
  24. capital — money

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