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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. bat — the animal
  3. capital — money
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. last — finally
  8. last — final
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. last — to go on
  11. bank — of a river
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. bank — for money
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. bank — for money
  17. capital — a city
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. bound — obliged
  20. bound — tied together
  21. scale — in music
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. bound — certain
  24. leaves — lets stay

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