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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. object — to protest
  3. capital — a city
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. land — ground
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. land — a country
  9. perch — the fish
  10. object — a thing
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. capital — money
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. degree — from a university
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. object — an aim
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. land — to come down
  21. degree — temperature
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. degree — an amount

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