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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. chest — a box
  4. board — to get on
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. roll — a cake
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. firm — a company
  10. board — a committee
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. kick — in football
  13. chest — of your body
  14. capital — a city
  15. roll — a list
  16. firm — decided
  17. spell — a short time
  18. firm — steady
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. capital — money
  21. rash — hasty
  22. spell — letters
  23. rash — a series
  24. chest — of your body

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