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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. capital — money
  3. last — to go on
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. last — final
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. scale — size or range
  12. can — a tin
  13. file — a tool
  14. cap — a hat
  15. file — a document
  16. capital — a city
  17. scale — in music
  18. cap — a lid
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. can — a tin
  21. cap — of ice
  22. file — a line of people
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. can — to be able to

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