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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. last — finally
  3. cue — a hint
  4. capital — money
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. capital — a city
  7. scale — in music
  8. cue — for pool
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. bank — for money
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. cue — a signal
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. last — to go on
  16. bank — for money
  17. root — of a plant
  18. chair — a leader
  19. root — of a word
  20. scale — size or range
  21. last — final
  22. root — the cause
  23. bank — of a river
  24. scale — for weighing

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