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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. track — to keep track
  3. tear — from crying
  4. season — in sport
  5. capital — a city
  6. track — a song
  7. cell — a phone
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. cell — in biology
  11. tear — to rip
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. tear — from crying
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. season — of the year
  16. track — a path
  17. capital — money
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. date — the fruit
  24. leaves — to go away

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