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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. spell — magic
  4. suit — to fit
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. capital — a city
  8. key — for a lock
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. land — ground
  11. net — after costs
  12. suit — clothes
  13. suit — in cards
  14. key — the most important part
  15. net — in sport
  16. land — to come down
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. net — for catching
  19. key — in music
  20. land — a country
  21. toast — bread
  22. capital — money
  23. spell — a short time
  24. toast — the most admired

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