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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. capital — a city
  3. face — part of the head
  4. drill — a practice
  5. drill — the tool
  6. capital — money
  7. pass — a permit
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. prune — to trim
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. wake — a trail
  16. prune — to trim
  17. face — to confront
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. drill — army training
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. face — to point toward
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. season — in sport

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