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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. rest — a break
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. track — a path
  7. rest — what's left
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. track — a song
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. wound — an injury
  12. rest — what's left
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. fine — high quality
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. capital — money
  17. track — to keep track
  18. bat — the animal
  19. capital — a city
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. wound — an injury
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. fine — all right

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