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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. spell — magic
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. spell — letters
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. foot — a measure
  7. capital — a city
  8. cold — an illness
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. spell — a short time
  13. mate — to breed
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. mate — a partner
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. cold — not warm
  19. capital — money
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. plane — a tool
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. capital — a big letter

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