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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. drill — the tool
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. capital — a city
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. spell — a short time
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. kick — in football
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. row — a line
  16. spell — magic
  17. drill — a practice
  18. row — to paddle
  19. face — to point toward
  20. face — to confront
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. capital — money
  23. drill — army training
  24. face — part of the head

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