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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. capital — money
  3. last — final
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. charge — electricity
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. club — a group
  9. fork — in a road
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. club — for golf
  12. charge — a price
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. charge — in control
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. last — to go on
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. wax — to grow
  23. capital — a city
  24. last — finally

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