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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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. pound — a weight
  4. last — final
  5. last — to go on
  6. cell — in biology
  7. capital — a city
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. last — finally
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. rest — what's left
  16. ball — a dance
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. rest — a break
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. ball — a great time
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. cell — a phone
  24. capital — money

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