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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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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 · present · nail · face · bear · staff · pitcher · last

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. last — to go on
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. last — finally
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. present — there
  8. bear — the animal
  9. bear — the animal
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. staff — employees
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. face — to point toward
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. face — to confront
  17. capital — money
  18. face — part of the head
  19. present — a gift
  20. last — final
  21. capital — a city
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. staff — employees
  24. present — the time now

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