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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. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. spell — letters
  4. stem — to come from
  5. spell — magic
  6. capital — a city
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. roll — a cake
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. pass — a permit
  11. capital — money
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. foot — a measure
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. net — for catching
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. net — after costs
  22. net — in sport
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. spell — a short time

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