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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. spell — letters
  7. capital — a city
  8. roll — a list
  9. mark — a trace
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. roll — a cake
  14. game — a match
  15. rush — hurry
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. mark — a grade
  18. capital — money
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. spell — a short time
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. game — wild animals
  24. spell — magic

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