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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 120 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: capital · object · bay · last · saw · sharp · fine · field

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. fine — all right
  3. saw — the tool
  4. fine — high quality
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. last — final
  7. last — finally
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. field — for sport
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. last — to go on
  13. capital — money
  14. object — to protest
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. sharp — clever
  18. saw — the tool
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. field — a subject
  22. object — an aim
  23. field — farmland
  24. capital — a city

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