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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. band — a music group
  3. band — a ring
  4. capital — money
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. firm — decided
  7. firm — steady
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. season — in sport
  10. spell — magic
  11. spell — a short time
  12. season — of the year
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. firm — a company
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. spell — letters
  20. perch — the fish
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. nail — on a finger

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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