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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 120 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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. spell — letters
  3. capital — a city
  4. mate — a friend
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. cold — an illness
  11. spell — a short time
  12. tear — from crying
  13. tear — from crying
  14. mate — a partner
  15. tear — to rip
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. capital — money
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. cold — not warm
  20. bank — for money
  21. spell — magic
  22. chair — a leader
  23. bank — for money
  24. mate — to breed

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