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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 116 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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. season — of the year
  3. bear — the animal
  4. cap — a lid
  5. court — of a king
  6. current — electric
  7. court — for sport
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. current — happening now
  11. spell — letters
  12. cap — a hat
  13. court — of law
  14. bear — the animal
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. spell — a short time
  17. current — of water
  18. capital — a city
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. season — in sport
  21. cap — of ice
  22. capital — money
  23. sharp — clever
  24. bear — to put up with

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