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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 116 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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. root — the cause
  3. spell — letters
  4. ball — a great time
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. land — to come down
  7. spell — magic
  8. root — of a plant
  9. capital — money
  10. root — of a word
  11. capital — a city
  12. spell — a short time
  13. board — to get on
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. file — a document
  18. file — a tool
  19. land — ground
  20. board — a committee
  21. land — a country
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. file — a line of people

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