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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. can — a tin
  3. capital — money
  4. field — a subject
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. field — for sport
  7. spell — a short time
  8. field — farmland
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. plane — a tool
  11. capital — a city
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. spell — letters
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. scale — size or range
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. can — to be able to
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. can — a tin
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. scale — in music

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