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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. capital — a city
  4. spell — letters
  5. pop — to visit
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. capital — money
  12. toast — bread
  13. pop — soda
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. snap — to click
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. hand — in cards
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. pop — music
  21. spell — magic
  22. plane — a tool
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. hand — help

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