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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 always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. capital — a city
  3. prune — to trim
  4. pit — in a race
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. game — a match
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. prune — to trim
  9. fall — the season
  10. pit — a hole
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. capital — money
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. game — wild animals
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. fall — to drop
  21. fall — to drop
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. pitch — completely
  24. lie — to recline

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