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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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. mug — to rob
  5. spell — letters
  6. court — of law
  7. suit — to fit
  8. capital — money
  9. spell — magic
  10. suit — in cards
  11. mug — a face
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. court — of a king
  15. bound — tied together
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. suit — clothes
  18. mug — a cup
  19. band — a music group
  20. bound — certain
  21. band — a ring
  22. capital — a city
  23. bound — obliged
  24. court — for sport

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