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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. spell — magic
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. ball — a great time
  5. spell — a short time
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. mug — to rob
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. capital — money
  10. board — a committee
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. rush — hurry
  13. board — to get on
  14. spell — letters
  15. pound — a weight
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. mug — a face
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. ball — a dance
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. mug — a cup

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