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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. fine — all right
  4. clip — a video
  5. spell — letters
  6. fine — high quality
  7. clip — for paper
  8. drill — the tool
  9. last — to go on
  10. clip — to cut
  11. foot — a measure
  12. drill — a practice
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. spell — magic
  16. spell — a short time
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. capital — a city
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. drill — army training
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. last — final
  24. capital — money

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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