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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. club — for dancing
  5. object — to protest
  6. club — for golf
  7. tear — from crying
  8. object — a thing
  9. chip — for betting
  10. capital — a city
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. deal — to handle
  13. chip — to eat
  14. object — an aim
  15. tear — to rip
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. last — finally
  18. last — final
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. capital — money
  21. club — a group
  22. tear — from crying
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. last — to go on

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