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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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. bore — to tire
  3. spell — letters
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. cap — a lid
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. season — in sport
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. capital — a city
  12. spell — a short time
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. cap — of ice
  15. capital — money
  16. spell — magic
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. season — of the year
  19. bat — the animal
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. cap — a hat
  24. bore — to drill

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