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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. cue — a signal
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. face — to confront
  6. capital — a city
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. drill — a practice
  9. drill — army training
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. drill — the tool
  12. prune — to trim
  13. cue — a hint
  14. prune — to trim
  15. face — to point toward
  16. saw — the tool
  17. saw — the tool
  18. face — part of the head
  19. fall — to drop
  20. cue — for pool
  21. capital — money
  22. fall — the season
  23. fall — to drop
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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