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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. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. roll — a cake
  4. capital — a city
  5. roll — a list
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. spell — magic
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. pitch — completely
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. spell — a short time
  14. clip — a video
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. rock — music
  17. capital — money
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. clip — for paper
  20. spell — letters
  21. rock — a stone
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. clip — to cut

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