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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 124 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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. spell — magic
  3. sharp — clever
  4. rest — what's left
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. rest — a break
  8. board — to get on
  9. date — the fruit
  10. mark — a trace
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. spell — a short time
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. board — a committee
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. mark — a grade
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. spell — letters
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. rest — what's left
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. board — a flat piece
  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