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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 116 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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. spell — letters
  3. craft — boats
  4. bound — certain
  5. capital — a city
  6. wake — a trail
  7. club — a group
  8. charge — electricity
  9. bound — tied together
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. bound — obliged
  12. staff — a stick
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. spell — magic
  15. craft — a skill
  16. charge — a price
  17. spell — a short time
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. staff — employees
  20. charge — in control
  21. club — for dancing
  22. staff — employees
  23. club — for golf
  24. capital — money

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