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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. spell — letters
  3. present — there
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. race — a contest
  6. capital — a city
  7. march — the month
  8. content — the amount
  9. march — music
  10. present — the time now
  11. capital — money
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. chip — for betting
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. content — happy
  16. spell — magic
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. present — a gift
  19. race — the arms race
  20. march — the month
  21. race — humankind
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. chip — to eat

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