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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. charge — electricity
  4. rush — hurry
  5. capital — a city
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. bore — to drill
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. capital — money
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. bat — the animal
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. charge — in control
  17. spell — a short time
  18. perch — the fish
  19. bore — to tire
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. charge — a price
  22. spell — letters
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. bat — in an idiom

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