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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. capital — a city
  3. current — of water
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. key — the most important part
  7. capital — money
  8. key — in music
  9. board — a committee
  10. current — happening now
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. last — final
  14. last — finally
  15. board — to get on
  16. current — electric
  17. spell — magic
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. last — to go on
  20. spell — a short time
  21. key — for a lock
  22. deal — to handle
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. deal — an agreement

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