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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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. tube — the underground
  3. capital — money
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. bound — tied together
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. wind — moving air
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. bound — certain
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. stock — shares
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. tube — a container
  15. bound — obliged
  16. capital — a city
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. fine — high quality
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. stock — goods
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. fine — all right
  24. wind — moving air

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