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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. bass — the fish
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. dip — to sink
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. mark — a grade
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. track — a song
  10. scale — size or range
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. track — to keep track
  15. scale — in music
  16. capital — a city
  17. track — a path
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. mark — a trace
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. bass — low music
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. capital — money
  24. dip — to dunk

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