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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 beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. object — to protest
  3. fall — to drop
  4. can — a tin
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. fall — the season
  7. land — a country
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. fine — high quality
  10. land — to come down
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. object — an aim
  13. fine — all right
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. object — a thing
  16. can — a tin
  17. land — ground
  18. capital — a city
  19. cold — an illness
  20. fall — to drop
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. cold — not warm
  23. capital — money
  24. can — to be able to

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