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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. current — of water
  4. spell — magic
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. plane — a tool
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. cell — in biology
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. current — electric
  11. spell — a short time
  12. current — happening now
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. cell — a phone
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. spell — letters
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. capital — money
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. nail — on a finger

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