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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. last — finally
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. capital — a city
  5. craft — a skill
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. perch — the fish
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. last — final
  11. craft — boats
  12. stand — to bear
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. toast — bread
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. capital — money
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. last — to go on
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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