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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 116 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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. last — to go on
  3. spell — magic
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. spell — a short time
  10. spell — letters
  11. capital — money
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. cell — a phone
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. last — finally
  16. drill — the tool
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. cell — in biology
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. drill — army training
  21. drill — a practice
  22. fine — high quality
  23. fine — all right
  24. capital — a city

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