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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. key — in music
  3. capital — a city
  4. capital — money
  5. spring — of water
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. spell — magic
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. saw — the tool
  11. plane — a tool
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. board — to get on
  16. key — the most important part
  17. saw — the tool
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. spring — a coil
  20. key — for a lock
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. board — a committee
  23. spell — a short time
  24. spring — the season

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