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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. capital — money
  5. chair — a leader
  6. can — a tin
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. can — a tin
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. season — of the year
  15. can — to be able to
  16. spell — magic
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. capital — a city
  19. season — in sport
  20. scale — size or range
  21. spell — letters
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. spell — a short time

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