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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. ground — crushed
  7. spring — a coil
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. ground — a position
  11. ground — the earth
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. rush — hurry
  14. kick — in football
  15. spring — of water
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. lie — to recline
  18. spring — the season
  19. capital — a city
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. capital — money
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. leaves — lets stay

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