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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 116 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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. bear — the animal
  3. game — wild animals
  4. capital — money
  5. last — finally
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. last — final
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. bear — the animal
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. game — a match
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. spell — magic
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. mine — for digging
  16. last — to go on
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. stand — to bear
  19. capital — a city
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. spell — a short time
  24. mine — an explosive

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