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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: rest · capital · scale · firm · sharp · last · chip · fall

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. scale — in music
  3. fall — the season
  4. chip — for betting
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. capital — a city
  7. firm — a company
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. fall — to drop
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. capital — money
  12. rest — a break
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. chip — to eat
  15. fall — to drop
  16. rest — what's left
  17. firm — decided
  18. sharp — clever
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. last — to go on
  21. last — finally
  22. scale — size or range
  23. last — final
  24. firm — steady

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