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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. roll — a cake
  3. object — to protest
  4. capital — money
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. pop — music
  8. object — an aim
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. roll — a list
  12. object — a thing
  13. pop — soda
  14. fine — high quality
  15. capital — a city
  16. cold — not warm
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. lie — to recline
  19. cold — an illness
  20. pop — to visit
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. fine — all right
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. fine — a penalty

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