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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. last — finally
  3. rock — music
  4. last — to go on
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. capital — money
  7. dip — to sink
  8. spring — of water
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. last — final
  12. rock — a stone
  13. mark — a grade
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. spring — the season
  17. spring — a coil
  18. rest — what's left
  19. rest — a break
  20. capital — a city
  21. rest — what's left
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. coach — a trainer

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