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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. scale — in music
  3. squash — to crush
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. last — finally
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. club — a group
  9. scale — size or range
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. club — for golf
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. fine — all right
  14. last — final
  15. squash — the sport
  16. capital — money
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. capital — a city
  19. club — for dancing
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. fine — high quality

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