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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. suit — to fit
  4. spell — magic
  5. wake — a trail
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. pop — soda
  11. degree — from a university
  12. suit — clothes
  13. pop — to visit
  14. rule — a law
  15. rule — government
  16. spell — a short time
  17. capital — a city
  18. pop — music
  19. spell — letters
  20. degree — an amount
  21. suit — in cards
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. degree — temperature
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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