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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. row — a line
  3. foot — a measure
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. mug — a cup
  6. spell — a short time
  7. face — to confront
  8. row — to paddle
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. face — to point toward
  11. spell — magic
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. capital — money
  14. mug — a face
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. suit — to fit
  18. mug — to rob
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. suit — in cards
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. capital — a city
  23. suit — clothes
  24. face — part of the head

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