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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. fine — high quality
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. capital — money
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. spell — magic
  7. spell — letters
  8. toast — bread
  9. staff — employees
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. capital — a city
  12. staff — employees
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. staff — a stick
  16. ball — a dance
  17. foot — a measure
  18. squash — to crush
  19. squash — the sport
  20. ball — a great time
  21. spell — a short time
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. capital — a big letter

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