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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. mark — a grade
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. mark — a trace
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. staff — employees
  9. fine — high quality
  10. wind — moving air
  11. wind — moving air
  12. capital — money
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. fine — all right
  15. staff — a stick
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. staff — employees
  19. scale — in music
  20. rash — a series
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. rash — hasty
  23. scale — size or range
  24. rash — on the skin

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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