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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. capital — money
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. cue — a signal
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. mug — a face
  9. rush — hurry
  10. bound — certain
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. mug — a cup
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. cue — a hint
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. bound — obliged
  21. cue — for pool
  22. capital — a city
  23. bound — tied together
  24. fan — a supporter

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