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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. present — the time now
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. capital — a city
  5. spring — the season
  6. capital — money
  7. present — a gift
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. spring — of water
  11. drill — the tool
  12. wax — to grow
  13. firm — steady
  14. rest — a break
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. present — there
  18. firm — decided
  19. drill — army training
  20. spring — a coil
  21. firm — a company
  22. rest — what's left
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. drill — a practice

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