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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. prune — to trim
  5. saw — the tool
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. last — final
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. hand — in cards
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. capital — money
  16. last — finally
  17. saw — the tool
  18. last — to go on
  19. hand — help
  20. chair — a leader
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. prune — to trim
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. chair — a professorship

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