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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. stand — to bear
  3. spell — letters
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. toast — bread
  6. spring — a coil
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. spring — the season
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. capital — money
  20. spell — magic
  21. spring — of water
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. capital — a city

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