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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. spell — letters
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. capital — a city
  7. perch — the fish
  8. present — there
  9. present — a gift
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. capital — money
  13. can — a tin
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. spell — a short time
  20. spell — magic
  21. can — to be able to
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. present — the time now
  24. nail — for a hammer

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