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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. bear — the animal
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. spring — a coil
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. spring — the season
  9. face — to point toward
  10. dip — to sink
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. capital — a city
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. face — to confront
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. face — part of the head
  21. capital — money
  22. bear — the animal
  23. spring — of water
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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