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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: capital · scale · wind · last · fine · season · fall · suit

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. suit — in cards
  3. season — of the year
  4. fall — to drop
  5. fall — to drop
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. last — final
  8. last — finally
  9. wind — moving air
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. scale — in music
  12. season — in sport
  13. suit — clothes
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. fine — all right
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. capital — a city
  18. fine — high quality
  19. capital — money
  20. scale — size or range
  21. suit — to fit
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. last — to go on
  24. fall — the season

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