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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. track — a song
  4. season — of the year
  5. pop — to visit
  6. fall — the season
  7. season — in sport
  8. pop — soda
  9. capital — a city
  10. fall — to drop
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. mug — a face
  13. mug — a cup
  14. capital — money
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. fall — to drop
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. track — a path
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. toast — bread
  23. pop — music
  24. track — to keep track

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