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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 hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. file — a document
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. rest — what's left
  8. cap — of ice
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. cap — a lid
  14. capital — money
  15. file — a line of people
  16. capital — a city
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. cap — a hat
  19. file — a tool
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. hand — in cards
  22. rest — what's left
  23. hand — help
  24. rest — a break

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