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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 116 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 got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. spell — a short time
  5. capital — a city
  6. drill — the tool
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. file — a tool
  10. bound — tied together
  11. file — a line of people
  12. spell — magic
  13. bound — obliged
  14. drill — a practice
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. drill — army training
  18. capital — money
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. bound — certain
  22. hand — help
  23. spell — letters
  24. file — a document

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