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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. capital — money
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. dip — to sink
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. pit — in a race
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. mine — for digging
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. squash — to crush
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. squash — the sport
  19. fork — in a road
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. pit — a hole
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. capital — a city
  24. plane — a tool

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