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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 120 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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. capital — money
  3. capital — a city
  4. hand — help
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. bank — of a river
  8. spell — letters
  9. band — a music group
  10. ball — a dance
  11. hand — in cards
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. band — a ring
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. spell — a short time
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. bank — for money
  21. bank — for money
  22. ball — a great time
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. band — a rubber band

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