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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 ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. cap — a lid
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. cap — a hat
  5. capital — a city
  6. rest — what's left
  7. file — a tool
  8. file — a line of people
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. rest — what's left
  11. rest — a break
  12. bear — the animal
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. capital — money
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. season — of the year
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. cap — of ice
  21. bear — the animal
  22. file — a document
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. season — in sport

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