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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: sharp · saw · straw · pound · scale · capital · stick · mine

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. capital — money
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. scale — size or range
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. pound — a weight
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. saw — the tool
  11. sharp — clever
  12. scale — in music
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. saw — the tool
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. mine — for digging

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