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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. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. last — to go on
  5. mark — a trace
  6. wind — moving air
  7. ball — a great time
  8. last — final
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. capital — a city
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. last — finally
  16. capital — money
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. stand — to bear
  19. mark — a grade
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. ball — a dance
  23. wind — moving air
  24. mark — to pay attention

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