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

Word bank: cold · capital · suit · tear · leaves · ruler · mouse · pit

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. pit — in a race
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. capital — money
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. suit — in cards
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. pit — a hole
  9. suit — clothes
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. cold — not warm
  12. tear — from crying
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. capital — a city
  18. suit — to fit
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. cold — an illness
  24. tear — from crying

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