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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. suit — in cards
  3. roll — a list
  4. capital — a city
  5. swing — to play on
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. cell — in biology
  8. spell — a short time
  9. wind — moving air
  10. capital — money
  11. swing — music
  12. roll — a cake
  13. cell — a phone
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. swing — in golf
  16. spell — magic
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. suit — to fit
  19. suit — clothes
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. spell — letters

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