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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. capital — money
  3. spell — magic
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. wake — a trail
  8. saw — the tool
  9. capital — a city
  10. saw — the tool
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. bore — to tire
  16. spell — letters
  17. spell — a short time
  18. bore — to drill
  19. firm — steady
  20. firm — decided
  21. kick — in football
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. firm — a company

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