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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. mark — a grade
  3. last — final
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. capital — money
  6. capital — a city
  7. pitch — completely
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. roll — a cake
  12. last — to go on
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. branch — a division
  16. mark — a trace
  17. roll — a list
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. stand — to bear
  20. last — finally
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. capital — a big letter

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