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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. bear — the animal
  3. staff — employees
  4. season — in sport
  5. staff — a stick
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. bear — the animal
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. capital — money
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. staff — employees
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. season — of the year
  18. vault — a safe
  19. track — a path
  20. capital — a city
  21. track — a song
  22. track — to keep track
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. season — to add flavour

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