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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.

Make a worksheet

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: scale · pitcher · last · present · capital · leaves · pit · wave

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. pit — a hole
  4. pit — in a race
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. last — final
  8. scale — in music
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. present — the time now
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. last — to go on
  13. last — finally
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. present — there
  17. scale — size or range
  18. capital — a city
  19. capital — money
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. present — a gift
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. wave — of the sea

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