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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 teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. rest — what's left
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. capital — a city
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. roll — a cake
  7. capital — money
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. rest — what's left
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. last — final
  12. cap — a lid
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. cap — of ice
  15. cap — a hat
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. rest — a break
  18. mate — a friend
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. mate — to breed
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. mate — a partner
  23. last — to go on
  24. last — finally

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