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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 116 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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. capital — money
  3. rest — what's left
  4. capital — a city
  5. rest — a break
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. scale — in music
  11. band — a music group
  12. lean — to bend
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. lean — thin
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. rest — what's left
  17. band — a ring
  18. scale — size or range

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