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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 newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. lie — to recline
  6. capital — money
  7. spell — a short time
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. spell — letters
  11. cap — a hat
  12. cap — of ice
  13. pit — a hole
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. cap — a lid
  16. spell — magic
  17. capital — a city
  18. land — ground
  19. land — to come down
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. foot — a measure
  22. pit — in a race
  23. land — a country
  24. capital — a big letter

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