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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 116 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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. court — for sport
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. track — a path
  6. capital — a city
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. court — of law
  10. track — a song
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. spell — a short time
  14. court — of a king
  15. capital — money
  16. spring — of water
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. spring — the season
  19. track — to keep track
  20. spring — a coil
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. sharp — clever
  23. pound — a weight
  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