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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: ball · pit · spell · nail · capital · present · content · mug

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. present — the time now
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. content — happy
  6. mug — a face
  7. ball — a dance
  8. present — there
  9. capital — a city
  10. ball — a great time
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. capital — money
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. pit — in a race
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. mug — a cup
  18. mug — to rob
  19. pit — a hole
  20. spell — a short time
  21. present — a gift
  22. spell — letters
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. content — the amount

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