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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. spell — a short time
  3. spell — magic
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. capital — a city
  8. date — the fruit
  9. fall — the season
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. sharp — clever
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. spell — letters
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. capital — money
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. fall — to drop
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. fall — to drop

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