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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. capital — money
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. clip — for paper
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. capital — a city
  9. sharp — clever
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. clip — a video
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. wake — a trail
  17. fine — high quality
  18. fine — all right
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. clip — to cut
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. bowl — to roll

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