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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 beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. season — of the year
  3. spell — letters
  4. mate — to breed
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. saw — the tool
  9. season — in sport
  10. spell — a short time
  11. spell — magic
  12. stock — shares
  13. mate — a friend
  14. mate — a partner
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. capital — money
  18. capital — a city
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. saw — the tool
  21. stock — goods
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. stock — a soup base

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