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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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. rest — a break
  4. spring — a coil
  5. spring — the season
  6. last — final
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. bass — low music
  9. spring — of water
  10. bass — the fish
  11. rest — what's left
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. capital — a city
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. rest — what's left
  18. craft — boats
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. craft — a skill
  22. last — finally
  23. season — in sport
  24. season — of the year

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