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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. rush — hurry
  4. capital — a city
  5. club — a group
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. club — for dancing
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. spell — a short time
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. game — a match
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. spell — magic
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. club — for golf
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. spell — letters
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. capital — money

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