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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. mark — a grade
  3. spell — a short time
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. row — to paddle
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. row — a line
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. game — a match
  13. charge — a price
  14. spell — letters
  15. charge — in control
  16. capital — money
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. charge — electricity
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. game — wild animals
  23. capital — a city
  24. mark — a trace

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