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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.

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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. staff — employees
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. season — in sport
  5. spell — letters
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. root — of a word
  8. capital — money
  9. suit — clothes
  10. spell — a short time
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. wake — a trail
  13. staff — a stick
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. staff — employees
  16. capital — a city
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. season — of the year
  19. suit — to fit
  20. root — of a plant
  21. suit — in cards
  22. root — the cause
  23. spell — magic
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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