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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. squash — to crush
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. capital — a city
  12. clip — for paper
  13. plane — a tool
  14. capital — money
  15. clip — to cut
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. wake — a trail
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. squash — the sport
  24. clip — a video

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