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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 refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. fall — the season
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. rule — government
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. wind — moving air
  8. capital — money
  9. root — of a word
  10. fall — to drop
  11. rule — a law
  12. mug — a face
  13. mug — to rob
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. root — the cause
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. lean — to bend
  18. root — of a plant
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. lean — thin
  21. capital — a city
  22. wind — moving air
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. fall — to drop

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