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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. spell — magic
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. spring — the season
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. rock — a stone
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. roll — a list
  15. spell — letters
  16. plane — a tool
  17. rock — music
  18. capital — money
  19. spring — of water
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. spell — a short time
  22. sharp — clever
  23. roll — a cake
  24. spring — a coil

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