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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 124 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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. season — of the year
  3. firm — steady
  4. wind — moving air
  5. season — in sport
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. capital — a city
  9. rest — what's left
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. firm — a company
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. firm — decided
  16. rest — what's left
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. capital — money
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. rest — a break
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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