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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. capital — money
  5. spell — letters
  6. bark — to shout
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. row — to paddle
  13. spell — a short time
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. row — a line
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. capital — a city
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. capital — a big letter

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