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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. spell — a short time
  5. rash — hasty
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. capital — a city
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. spell — letters
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. rash — a series
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. land — a country
  16. pass — a permit
  17. spell — magic
  18. land — to come down
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. capital — money
  22. rock — a stone
  23. rock — music
  24. pass — to spend time

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