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

Word bank: capital · nail · spell · rest · lean · last · cue · bay

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. capital — money
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. cue — a signal
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. last — to go on
  9. last — finally
  10. spell — letters
  11. rest — what's left
  12. cue — for pool
  13. lean — thin
  14. last — final
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. rest — a break
  19. spell — magic
  20. cue — a hint
  21. lean — to bend
  22. spell — a short time
  23. capital — a city
  24. nail — on a finger

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