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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 120 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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. craft — boats
  5. drill — army training
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. craft — a skill
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. spell — magic
  12. spell — a short time
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. drill — a practice
  15. chair — a leader
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. capital — a city
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. capital — money
  20. spell — letters
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. drill — the tool
  24. leaves — of a tree

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