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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. spell — a short time
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. capital — money
  6. capital — a city
  7. roll — a list
  8. root — of a plant
  9. mate — a friend
  10. court — of law
  11. mate — a partner
  12. mate — to breed
  13. spell — magic
  14. spell — letters
  15. saw — the tool
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. roll — a cake
  18. court — of a king
  19. root — of a word
  20. court — for sport
  21. root — the cause
  22. wake — a trail
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. wake — before a funeral

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