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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. saw — the tool
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. last — final
  5. capital — a city
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. roll — a list
  8. saw — the tool
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. tube — the underground
  11. face — to confront
  12. face — to point toward
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. last — finally
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. bass — low music
  19. tube — a container
  20. face — part of the head
  21. roll — a cake
  22. capital — money
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. bass — the fish

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