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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. scale — in music
  3. last — finally
  4. capital — money
  5. mug — a cup
  6. current — of water
  7. current — happening now
  8. last — final
  9. mug — a face
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. last — to go on
  13. current — electric
  14. capital — a city
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. band — a music group
  17. bat — the animal
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. band — a ring
  20. mug — to rob
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. foot — a measure

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