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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 ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. mine — for digging
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. fall — the season
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. land — a country
  8. capital — money
  9. drill — a practice
  10. roll — a list
  11. drill — the tool
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. fall — to drop
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. roll — a cake
  17. fall — to drop
  18. drill — army training
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. land — to come down
  23. land — ground
  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