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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cell · mate · capital · fall · fine · pass

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. cell — in biology
  3. pass — a permit
  4. fine — all right
  5. mate — a friend
  6. fall — to drop
  7. capital — a city
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. cell — a phone
  10. fine — high quality
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. fall — the season
  14. capital — money
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. mate — a partner
  17. mate — to breed
  18. pass — to spend time

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