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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. land — to come down
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. cap — a hat
  6. cap — a lid
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. land — a country
  14. cap — of ice
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. capital — a city
  17. kick — in football
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. land — ground
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. capital — money
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. pitcher — a jug

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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