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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: last · mine · scale · capital · bay · perch · firm · object

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. firm — a company
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. last — to go on
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. last — finally
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. object — an aim
  13. capital — money
  14. firm — decided
  15. last — final
  16. object — a thing
  17. scale — in music
  18. capital — a city
  19. mine — for digging
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. perch — the fish
  22. scale — size or range
  23. firm — steady
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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