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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. capital — a city
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. season — in sport
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. capital — money
  17. season — of the year
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. saw — the tool
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. saw — the tool
  24. dip — to sink

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