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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 beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. capital — money
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. degree — an amount
  9. degree — from a university
  10. saw — the tool
  11. capital — a city
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. degree — temperature
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. saw — the tool
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. cell — in biology
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. cell — a phone
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. bat — the animal

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