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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. current — of water
  3. current — happening now
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. spell — letters
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. capital — a city
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. toast — bread
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. capital — money
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. current — electric
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. spell — a short time
  22. bat — the animal
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. pitch — completely

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