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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. capital — money
  3. rash — hasty
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. plane — a tool
  6. capital — a city
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. perch — the fish
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. spell — a short time
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. date — the fruit
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. spell — letters
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. rash — a series
  24. spell — magic

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