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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 116 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: last · chair · mark · nail · capital · club · leaves · bass

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. mark — a trace
  3. capital — money
  4. club — for dancing
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. club — for golf
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. bass — the fish
  9. club — a group
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. capital — a city
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. last — to go on
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. chair — a leader
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. bass — low music
  18. last — final
  19. mark — a grade
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. last — finally
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. capital — a big letter

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