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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. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. pop — to visit
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. capital — a city
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. track — a song
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. capital — money
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. foot — a measure
  13. track — to keep track
  14. season — of the year
  15. track — a path
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. pop — soda
  20. season — in sport
  21. pop — music
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. season — to add flavour

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