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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. track — a song
  4. stem — to come from
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. mark — a grade
  7. charge — electricity
  8. track — to keep track
  9. track — a path
  10. capital — money
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. scale — in music
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. toast — bread
  15. mark — a trace
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. charge — in control
  18. scale — size or range
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. charge — a price
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. capital — a city

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