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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. season — in sport
  3. capital — money
  4. rule — a law
  5. spell — a short time
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. season — of the year
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. spell — letters
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. sharp — clever
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. scale — in music
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. capital — a city
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. rule — government
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. spell — magic

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