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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 116 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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. pop — music
  4. spell — letters
  5. suit — clothes
  6. pop — to visit
  7. charge — a price
  8. spell — a short time
  9. last — final
  10. band — a ring
  11. charge — electricity
  12. tear — from crying
  13. pop — soda
  14. capital — money
  15. suit — to fit
  16. charge — in control
  17. capital — a city
  18. last — to go on
  19. tear — from crying
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. tear — to rip
  22. suit — in cards
  23. last — finally
  24. band — a music group

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