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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. pit — a hole
  4. spell — magic
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. capital — money
  8. fine — high quality
  9. chip — to eat
  10. pit — in a race
  11. row — to paddle
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. fine — all right
  14. chip — for betting
  15. spell — a short time
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. row — a line
  20. craft — boats
  21. capital — a city
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. craft — a skill

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