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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. file — a document
  3. capital — a city
  4. capital — money
  5. wind — moving air
  6. fine — all right
  7. fine — high quality
  8. season — in sport
  9. wind — moving air
  10. file — a line of people
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. dip — to sink
  13. season — of the year
  14. file — a tool
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. object — an aim
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. object — to protest
  24. object — a thing

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