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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. last — to go on
  3. last — finally
  4. bank — for money
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. file — a document
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. last — final
  9. bank — for money
  10. wake — a trail
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. file — a tool
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. file — a line of people
  19. lie — to recline
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. capital — a city
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. bank — of a river
  24. fan — a supporter

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