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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 train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. row — to paddle
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. scale — size or range
  5. row — a line
  6. cap — of ice
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. clip — for paper
  10. capital — a city
  11. face — to point toward
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. face — part of the head
  14. face — to confront
  15. cap — a hat
  16. clip — a video
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. scale — in music
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. capital — money
  21. cap — a lid
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. clip — to cut
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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