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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. current — happening now
  5. mate — to breed
  6. current — electric
  7. rock — a stone
  8. prune — to trim
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. current — of water
  11. pass — a permit
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. rock — music
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. mate — a partner
  17. capital — a city
  18. capital — money
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. kick — in football
  23. mate — a friend
  24. prune — to trim

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