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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 120 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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  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. wax — for sculpting
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. rest — what's left
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. track — a path
  6. rest — what's left
  7. capital — a city
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. track — a song
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. rest — a break
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. capital — money
  20. track — to keep track
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. wax — to grow
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  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