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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. spell — magic
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. court — for sport
  9. bear — the animal
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. court — of a king
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. spell — letters
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. capital — a city
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. court — of law
  21. spell — a short time
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. bear — the animal
  24. mouse — the animal

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