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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. fine — high quality
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. pass — a permit
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. fine — all right
  9. wind — moving air
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. field — for sport
  12. snap — to click
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. wind — moving air
  16. field — farmland
  17. capital — a city
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. mine — for digging
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. field — a subject
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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