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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. last — final
  6. plane — a tool
  7. last — to go on
  8. cap — a lid
  9. cap — a hat
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. last — finally
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. stock — shares
  16. cap — of ice
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. stock — goods
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. capital — money
  21. capital — a city
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. craft — a skill
  24. craft — boats

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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