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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 116 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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. can — to be able to
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. mark — a trace
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. can — a tin
  12. wax — to grow
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. mine — for digging
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. can — a tin
  17. rush — hurry
  18. mark — a grade
  19. capital — money
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. capital — a city
  22. last — finally
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. last — to go on

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