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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. capital — money
  3. capital — a city
  4. stand — to bear
  5. fall — to drop
  6. cap — of ice
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. cap — a lid
  9. last — finally
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. toast — bread
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. cap — a hat
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. fall — to drop
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. fall — the season
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. lie — to recline
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. last — final

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