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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. track — a song
  5. cue — a hint
  6. capital — a city
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. mark — a grade
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. cue — a signal
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. mine — for digging
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. capital — money
  17. track — to keep track
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. cue — for pool
  20. mark — a trace
  21. track — a path
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. plane — a tool
  24. mark — to pay attention

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