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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. last — finally
  3. spell — a short time
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. fork — in a road
  6. lie — to recline
  7. spell — letters
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. capital — money
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. chair — a leader
  14. capital — a city
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. chip — to eat
  18. spell — magic
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. last — to go on
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. scale — in music
  23. chip — for betting
  24. last — final

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