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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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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. capital — money
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. pop — soda
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. scale — size or range
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. spell — a short time
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. capital — a city
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. pop — to visit
  18. prune — to trim
  19. scale — in music
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. pop — music
  23. spell — magic
  24. prune — to trim

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