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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. ball — a great time
  3. cue — a signal
  4. last — final
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. last — to go on
  7. spell — magic
  8. branch — a division
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. lean — thin
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. lean — to bend
  13. capital — a city
  14. ball — a dance
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. spell — a short time
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. cue — for pool
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. cue — a hint
  23. spell — letters
  24. last — finally

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