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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. bound — tied together
  3. spell — letters
  4. capital — money
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. spell — magic
  7. capital — a city
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. cell — in biology
  11. bound — obliged
  12. face — to confront
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. face — to point toward
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. kid — to tease
  17. prune — to trim
  18. foot — a measure
  19. bound — certain
  20. kid — child
  21. cell — a phone
  22. face — part of the head
  23. prune — to trim
  24. foot — part of the body

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