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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 speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. roll — a list
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. swing — in golf
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. spell — magic
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. staff — employees
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. roll — a cake
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. staff — a stick
  14. spell — letters
  15. capital — money
  16. spell — a short time
  17. capital — a city
  18. board — to get on
  19. swing — to play on
  20. board — a committee
  21. staff — employees
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. swing — music
  24. board — a flat piece

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