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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 beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. press — newspapers
  5. spell — letters
  6. shower — to wash
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. date — the fruit
  12. shower — rain
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. capital — money
  16. spell — magic
  17. capital — a city
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. spell — a short time
  20. press — a publisher
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. press — to push
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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