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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. shower — to wash
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. season — of the year
  5. saw — the tool
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. capital — money
  8. squash — to crush
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. squash — the sport
  13. saw — the tool
  14. fine — all right
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. shower — rain
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. capital — a city
  19. season — in sport
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. fine — high quality

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