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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. capital — a city
  3. capital — money
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. rash — hasty
  8. lie — to recline
  9. degree — temperature
  10. degree — an amount
  11. spell — a short time
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. mug — a cup
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. mug — to rob
  19. spell — magic
  20. perch — the fish
  21. degree — from a university
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. rash — a series
  24. mug — a face

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