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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  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. capital — a big letter
  2. capital — a city
  3. firm — decided
  4. saw — the tool
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. firm — a company
  7. wake — a trail
  8. ground — the earth
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. firm — steady
  12. wax — to grow
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. saw — the tool
  16. cue — for pool
  17. ground — a position
  18. chair — a leader
  19. ground — crushed
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. cue — a hint
  23. cue — a signal
  24. capital — money

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