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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 120 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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. capital — money
  3. fine — high quality
  4. spell — a short time
  5. cell — in biology
  6. fine — all right
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. cell — a phone
  9. saw — the tool
  10. bear — the animal
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. capital — a city
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. spell — magic
  16. bear — the animal
  17. spell — letters
  18. shower — to wash
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. saw — the tool
  21. shower — rain
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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