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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. file — a document
  3. capital — a city
  4. bank — for money
  5. spell — magic
  6. bank — of a river
  7. cap — a lid
  8. file — a line of people
  9. spell — letters
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. cap — a hat
  15. file — a tool
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. bank — for money
  18. last — to go on
  19. spell — a short time
  20. lean — thin
  21. last — finally
  22. lean — to bend
  23. cap — of ice
  24. capital — money

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