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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. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. capital — a city
  4. staff — employees
  5. spell — letters
  6. fall — to drop
  7. spell — magic
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. face — to confront
  10. fall — the season
  11. foot — a measure
  12. mine — for digging
  13. capital — money
  14. face — part of the head
  15. staff — a stick
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. staff — employees
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. face — to point toward
  21. chair — a leader
  22. fall — to drop
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. chair — to sit on

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