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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 116 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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. can — to be able to
  3. wind — moving air
  4. cue — a signal
  5. spring — the season
  6. cue — a hint
  7. capital — a city
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. rest — a break
  10. spring — of water
  11. can — a tin
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. cue — for pool
  14. capital — money
  15. rest — what's left
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. season — in sport
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. rest — what's left
  20. wind — moving air
  21. spring — a coil
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. season — of the year
  24. can — a tin

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