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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. capital — money
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. bat — the animal
  5. scale — size or range
  6. cue — a signal
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. scale — in music
  9. rule — government
  10. cue — for pool
  11. spell — magic
  12. spell — a short time
  13. craft — a skill
  14. rule — a law
  15. bear — the animal
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. bear — the animal
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. craft — boats
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. capital — a city
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. cue — a hint

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