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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 120 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 assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. lean — to bend
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. capital — money
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. fine — high quality
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. lean — thin
  14. fall — to drop
  15. capital — a city
  16. fall — the season
  17. row — a line
  18. snap — to click
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. fall — to drop
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. row — to paddle
  24. leaves — of a tree

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