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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. mug — a cup
  3. ground — the earth
  4. last — finally
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. capital — a city
  7. last — final
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. ground — a position
  12. mug — a face
  13. mug — to rob
  14. current — electric
  15. ground — crushed
  16. bat — the animal
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. current — happening now
  20. drill — the tool
  21. capital — money
  22. drill — army training
  23. current — of water
  24. drill — a practice

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