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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. wound — an injury
  3. spell — letters
  4. ball — a dance
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. spell — magic
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. craft — a skill
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. press — newspapers
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. pass — a permit
  15. wound — an injury
  16. capital — money
  17. ball — a great time
  18. press — a publisher
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. craft — boats
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. capital — a city
  23. press — to push
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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