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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. field — for sport
  3. suit — in cards
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. bank — for money
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. suit — clothes
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. field — a subject
  12. suit — to fit
  13. field — farmland
  14. capital — money
  15. bank — for money
  16. bat — the animal
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. bank — of a river
  19. rash — a series
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. rash — hasty
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. bat — for baseball

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