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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  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. capital — a big letter
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. last — finally
  4. deal — to handle
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. capital — a city
  11. suit — clothes
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. suit — to fit
  14. can — a tin
  15. can — a tin
  16. wound — an injury
  17. wound — an injury
  18. suit — in cards
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. capital — money
  21. pound — a weight
  22. last — to go on
  23. can — to be able to
  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