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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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468
Word bank
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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. file — a line of people
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. spell — magic
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. file — a document
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. pass — a permit
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. capital — a city
  13. cell — a phone
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. spell — letters
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. capital — money
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. cell — in biology
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. file — a tool

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