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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. scale — in music
  5. fall — to drop
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. craft — boats
  11. can — to be able to
  12. capital — money
  13. fall — to drop
  14. wake — a trail
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. capital — a city
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. fall — the season
  22. can — a tin
  23. craft — a skill
  24. can — a tin

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