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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 120 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 beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. rock — music
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. stand — to bear
  9. rock — a stone
  10. capital — money
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. net — in sport
  14. squash — to crush
  15. net — for catching
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. capital — a city
  18. net — after costs
  19. mine — for digging
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. squash — the sport
  24. leaves — of a tree

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