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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. capital — a city
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. mark — a grade
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. bear — the animal
  7. wind — moving air
  8. capital — money
  9. mug — a cup
  10. wind — moving air
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. wound — an injury
  14. mug — to rob
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. bear — the animal
  18. wound — an injury
  19. rest — what's left
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. mug — a face
  22. mark — a trace
  23. rest — what's left
  24. capital — a big letter

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