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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 120 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 train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. land — a country
  3. bass — low music
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. cell — in biology
  6. capital — a city
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. capital — money
  9. last — finally
  10. last — final
  11. last — to go on
  12. land — ground
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. land — to come down
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. bass — the fish
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. dip — to sink
  22. lie — to recline
  23. cell — a phone
  24. leaves — of a tree

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