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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 120 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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. last — to go on
  3. last — finally
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. bass — low music
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. capital — a city
  8. rule — a law
  9. bass — the fish
  10. fine — all right
  11. scale — size or range
  12. scale — in music
  13. capital — money
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. fine — high quality
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. rule — government

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