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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. wind — moving air
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. capital — a city
  9. wind — moving air
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. season — of the year
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. mine — for digging
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. mate — a friend
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. mate — to breed
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. mate — a partner
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. season — in sport
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. wake — a trail

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