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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. craft — a skill
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. file — a document
  5. capital — a city
  6. chair — a leader
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. capital — money
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. file — a tool
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. last — final
  14. pound — a weight
  15. last — to go on
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. file — a line of people
  18. last — finally
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. craft — boats
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. bay — a horse colour

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