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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 116 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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. face — to confront
  4. capital — a city
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. spell — magic
  7. charge — electricity
  8. spell — a short time
  9. prune — to trim
  10. bear — the animal
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. face — to point toward
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. bear — the animal
  15. charge — a price
  16. capital — money
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. prune — to trim
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. face — part of the head
  24. charge — in control

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