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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: foot · row · mate · capital · cabinet · craft · wake · pass

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. capital — money
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. wake — a trail
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. mate — to breed
  9. craft — a skill
  10. foot — a measure
  11. mate — a partner
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. capital — a city
  14. mate — a friend
  15. pass — a permit
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. row — a line
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. row — to paddle
  23. craft — boats
  24. cabinet — ministers

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