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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  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. saw — past of 'see'
  2. drill — the tool
  3. drill — a practice
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. spell — a short time
  6. wake — a trail
  7. capital — a city
  8. saw — the tool
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. face — to point toward
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. spell — letters
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. spell — magic
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. face — to confront
  21. drill — army training
  22. saw — the tool
  23. capital — money
  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