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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. rash — hasty
  3. last — finally
  4. roll — a cake
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. last — final
  7. spell — a short time
  8. roll — a list
  9. last — to go on
  10. bank — of a river
  11. capital — money
  12. firm — decided
  13. saw — the tool
  14. saw — the tool
  15. bank — for money
  16. spell — letters
  17. firm — a company
  18. bank — for money
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. rash — a series
  21. spell — magic
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. firm — steady
  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