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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. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to spend time
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. wind — moving air
  4. file — a tool
  5. mark — a trace
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. pass — a permit
  9. mark — a grade
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. capital — money
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. file — a line of people
  19. wind — moving air
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. capital — a city
  23. file — a document
  24. calf — a young 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