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

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. last — finally
  3. ground — crushed
  4. key — the most important part
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. rash — a series
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. last — final
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. capital — a city
  11. capital — money
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. suit — clothes
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. last — to go on
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. ground — a position
  19. key — in music
  20. suit — in cards
  21. suit — to fit
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. key — for a lock
  24. ground — the earth

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