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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. hand — in cards
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. capital — money
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. capital — a city
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. ground — crushed
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. last — to go on
  15. ground — the earth
  16. plane — a tool
  17. last — final
  18. hand — help
  19. ground — a position
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. last — finally
  23. branch — a division
  24. pass — to succeed

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