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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. spell — magic
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. mate — to breed
  5. mate — a partner
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. spell — letters
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. spell — a short time
  10. mug — a cup
  11. mug — a face
  12. spring — of water
  13. tube — a container
  14. spring — the season
  15. spring — a coil
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. mug — to rob
  19. capital — a city
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. tube — the underground
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. mate — a friend

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