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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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. present — there
  4. spell — a short time
  5. fine — all right
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. drill — the tool
  8. squash — the sport
  9. pit — in a race
  10. present — the time now
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. drill — a practice
  14. capital — money
  15. squash — to crush
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. present — a gift
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. drill — army training
  22. fine — high quality
  23. pit — a hole
  24. spell — letters

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