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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.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. suit — clothes
  3. capital — money
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. band — a ring
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. suit — to fit
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. band — a music group
  10. spell — letters
  11. wake — a trail
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. spell — magic
  16. ball — a great time
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. wound — an injury
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. capital — a city
  21. ball — a dance
  22. suit — in cards
  23. spell — a short time
  24. wound — an injury

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