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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. file — a tool
  3. chip — for betting
  4. file — a line of people
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. court — of law
  7. capital — money
  8. saw — the tool
  9. file — a document
  10. last — to go on
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. saw — the tool
  15. rock — music
  16. last — final
  17. chip — to eat
  18. court — for sport
  19. last — finally
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. court — of a king
  22. capital — a city
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. rock — a stone

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