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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. capital — money
  3. last — to go on
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. last — final
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. bear — the animal
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. saw — the tool
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. saw — the tool
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. capital — a city
  19. bear — the animal
  20. last — finally
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. stand — to bear
  23. pound — a weight
  24. capital — a big letter

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