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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: capital · temple · bat · last · fall · pop · board · leaves

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. bat — the animal
  4. pop — to visit
  5. pop — music
  6. board — a committee
  7. last — finally
  8. capital — money
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. fall — to drop
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. board — to get on
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. fall — the season
  17. last — to go on
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. last — final
  21. capital — a city
  22. pop — soda
  23. fall — to drop
  24. leaves — of a tree

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