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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. fall — to drop
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. ground — a position
  6. bore — to drill
  7. dip — to sink
  8. season — in sport
  9. ground — crushed
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. season — of the year
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. bore — to tire
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. fall — to drop
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. fall — the season
  19. ground — the earth
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. wake — a trail
  24. capital — money

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