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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. band — a ring
  3. last — finally
  4. charge — electricity
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. wound — an injury
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. charge — in control
  9. lean — to bend
  10. net — in sport
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. capital — a city
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. stock — goods
  15. last — final
  16. wound — an injury
  17. band — a music group
  18. charge — a price
  19. net — for catching
  20. stock — shares
  21. net — after costs
  22. lean — thin
  23. capital — money
  24. capital — a big letter

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