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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. season — of the year
  3. capital — money
  4. capital — a city
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. mug — a cup
  7. mark — a grade
  8. mug — to rob
  9. wake — a trail
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. shower — to wash
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. pass — a permit
  16. rest — a break
  17. shower — rain
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. season — in sport
  20. mark — a trace
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. mug — a face
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. rest — what's left

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