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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 · track · drill · snap · rest · last · rock · saw

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. rest — what's left
  3. last — to go on
  4. track — a song
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. drill — a practice
  7. capital — money
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. rock — music
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. track — to keep track
  13. capital — a city
  14. rest — a break
  15. drill — army training
  16. saw — the tool
  17. track — a path
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. drill — the tool
  20. saw — the tool
  21. last — finally
  22. rock — a stone
  23. last — final
  24. snap — to click

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