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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  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. scale — in music
  2. land — a country
  3. capital — money
  4. bear — the animal
  5. mark — a trace
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. land — ground
  8. mark — a grade
  9. game — wild animals
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. face — to confront
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. last — finally
  15. land — to come down
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. scale — size or range
  18. face — part of the head
  19. bear — the animal
  20. face — to point toward
  21. last — to go on
  22. capital — a city
  23. game — a match
  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