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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 old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. craft — boats
  3. wake — a trail
  4. charge — a price
  5. bear — the animal
  6. staff — employees
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. kid — child
  9. kid — to tease
  10. spell — magic
  11. capital — money
  12. spell — letters
  13. charge — in control
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. staff — employees
  17. charge — electricity
  18. spell — a short time
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. bear — the animal
  21. craft — a skill
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. capital — a city

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