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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. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. capital — money
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. spell — magic
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. spell — letters
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. pop — soda
  12. deal — to handle
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. capital — a city
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. sharp — clever
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. spell — a short time
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. pop — to visit
  24. pop — music

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